the officer who presides at the meetings of an organization
"address your remarks to the chairperson"
A person presiding over a meeting.
"As chairman of the board, he called for an immediate vote on the new budget proposal."
In plain English: A chairman is the person who leads a group of people and makes sure meetings run smoothly.
"The chairman opened the meeting by welcoming everyone to the conference room."
Usage: Use "chairman" to refer to a male leader who presides over a meeting or organization. In modern usage, consider "chair" or "chairperson" as gender-neutral alternatives unless specifically addressing a traditional context.
To serve as chairman.
"As chairman of the board, he was responsible for leading every meeting until a new president took over next year."
In plain English: There is no verb form of chairman because it is only used as a noun to describe a person who leads a group.
"The chairman voted to approve the new budget at the meeting."
Usage: The word "chairman" is never used as a verb; it is strictly a noun referring to a male chairperson or head of an organization. To describe the action of leading a meeting or group, you must use the verb "to chair" instead.
The word chairman is formed by combining the word chair with the suffix -man to denote a person who presides over a meeting or holds a position of authority. This straightforward construction has remained consistent since its first recorded use in English, directly linking the role to the piece of furniture around which discussions take place.