chair and chairman share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. chair means “a seat for one person, with a support for the back”. chairman means “the officer who presides at the meetings of an organization”. chair is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈtʃɛɹ/
1.n.a seat for one person, with a support for the back
“he put his coat over the back of the chair and sat down”
2.n.the position of professor
“he was awarded an endowed chair in economics”
3.n.the officer who presides at the meetings of an organization
“address your remarks to the chairperson”
/ˈtʃɛɹmən/
1.n.the officer who presides at the meetings of an organization
“address your remarks to the chairperson”
2.v.act or preside as chair, as of an academic department in a university
“She chaired the department for many years”
| chair | chairman | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈtʃɛɹ/ | /ˈtʃɛɹmən/ |
| Said | cher | CHER-muhn |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 5 | 8 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun, verb |
| Senses | 7 | 2 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | president, chairwoman, chair |
Full entry for chair · Full entry for chairman · More comparisons