chairman and president share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. chairman means “the officer who presides at the meetings of an organization”. president means “an executive officer of a firm or corporation”. president is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/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”
/ˈpɹɛzəˌdɛnt/
1.n.an executive officer of a firm or corporation
2.n.the person who holds the office of head of state of the United States government
“the President likes to jog every morning”
3.n.the chief executive of a republic
| chairman | president | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈtʃɛɹmən/ | /ˈpɹɛzəˌdɛnt/ |
| Said | CHER-muhn | PREZ-uh-dent |
| Syllables | 2 | 3 |
| Letters | 8 | 9 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 2 | 6 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | president, chairwoman, chair | none recorded |
Full entry for chairman · Full entry for president · More comparisons