7 → see also food chain
▸ chain up → see chain 4 COLLOCATIONS chain NOUN 6
noun + chain : cinema, hotel, pub, restaurant, supermarket; clothing, DIY, electricals, fashion; discount, high-street
adjective + chain : retail
chained /tʃe I nd/ ADJ If you say that someone is chained to a person or a situation, you are emphasizing that there are reasons why they cannot leave that person or situation, even though you think they might like to. □ [+ to ] At work, he was chained to a system of boring meetings.
chai n gang (chain gangs ) N‑COUNT In the United States, a chain gang is a group of prisoners who are chained together to do work outside their prison. Chain gangs existed especially in former times.
chai n let|ter (chain letters ) N‑COUNT A chain letter is a letter, often with a promise of money, that is sent to several people who send copies on to several more people. Chain letters are illegal in some countries.
chai n mai l N‑UNCOUNT Chain mail is a kind of armour made from small metal rings joined together so that they look like cloth.
chai n re|a c|tion (chain reactions )
1 N‑COUNT A chain reaction is a series of chemical changes, each of which causes the next.
2 N‑COUNT A chain reaction is a series of events, each of which causes the next. □ [+ of ] The powder immediately ignited and set off a chain reaction of explosions.
chai n saw (chain saws ) also chainsaw N‑COUNT A chain saw is a big saw with teeth fixed in a chain that is driven round by a motor.
chai n-smoke (chain-smokes , chain-smoking , chain-smoked ) VERB Someone who chain-smokes smokes cigarettes or cigars continuously. □ [V ] Melissa had chain-smoked all evening while she waited for a phone call from Tom. [Also V n]
chai n-smoker (chain-smokers ) also chain smoker N‑COUNT A chain-smoker is a person who chain-smokes.
chai n store (chain stores ) also chain-store N‑COUNT A chain store is one of several similar shops that are owned by the same person or company, especially one that sells a variety of things.
chair ◆◆◇ /tʃeə r / (chairs , chairing , chaired )
1 N‑COUNT A chair is a piece of furniture for one person to sit on. Chairs have a back and four legs. □ He rose from his chair and walked to the window.
2 N‑COUNT [usu sing] At a university, a chair is the post of professor. □ [+ of/in ] He has been appointed to the chair of sociology at Southampton University.
3 N‑COUNT [usu sing] The person who is the chair of a committee or meeting is the person in charge of it. □ [+ of ] She shared her concerns with the chair of the church's finance council.
4 VERB If you chair a meeting or a committee, you are the person in charge of it. □ [V n] He was about to chair a meeting in Venice of E.U. foreign ministers.
5 N‑SING The chair is the same as the electric chair . [AM ]
chai r lift (chair lifts ) also chairlift N‑COUNT A chair lift is a line of chairs that hang from a moving cable and carry people up and down a mountain or ski slope.
chair|man ◆◆◇ /tʃeə r mən/ (chairmen )
1 N‑COUNT [oft with poss] The chairman of a committee, organization, or company is the head of it. □ [+ of ] Glyn Ford is chairman of the Committee which produced the report. □ I had done business with the company's chairman.
2 N‑COUNT The chairman of a meeting or debate is the person in charge, who decides when each person is allowed to speak. □ The chairman declared the meeting open. □ I hear you, Mr. Chairman. COLLOCATIONS chairman NOUN 1
noun + chairman : club, committee, company, party; deputy
adjective + chairman : former, outgoing; executive, non-executive, honorary; acting, interim
verb + chairman : appoint, elect
chair|man|ship /tʃeə r mənʃ I p/ (chairmanships ) N‑VAR The chairmanship of a committee or organization is the fact of being its chairperson. Someone's chairmanship can also mean the period during which they are chairperson. □ [+ of ] The Government has set up a committee under the chairmanship of Professor Roy Goode.
chair|person /tʃeə r pɜː r s ə n/ (chairpersons ) N‑COUNT The chairperson of a meeting, committee, or organization is the person in charge of it. □ [+ of ] She's the chairperson of the safety committee.
chair|woman /tʃeə r wʊmən/ (chairwomen ) N‑COUNT The chairwoman of a meeting, committee, or organization is the woman in charge of it. □ [+ of ] The chairwoman of the committee backed the new approach.
chaise longue /ʃe I z lɒ ŋ/ (chaises longues ) The singular and the plural are both pronounced in the same way. N‑COUNT A chaise longue is a kind of sofa with only one arm and usually a back along half its length.
chaise lounge /ʃe I z laʊ ndʒ/ (chaise lounges ) N‑COUNT A chaise lounge is the same as a chaise longue . [AM ]
cha|let /ʃæ le I , [AM ] ʃæle I / (chalets ) N‑COUNT A chalet is a small wooden house, especially in a mountain area or a holiday camp.
chal|ice /tʃæ l I s/ (chalices )
1 N‑COUNT A chalice is a large gold or silver cup with a stem. Chalices are used to hold wine in the Christian service of Holy Communion.