chairs and seats

sofa

sofa [noun]
US /ˈsoʊ.fə/ 
UK /ˈsəʊ.fə/ 
Example: 

I fell asleep on the sofa.

A long, soft seat with a back and usually arms, on which more than one person can sit at the same time

Persian equivalent: 
Example: 

I fell asleep on the sofa.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

sofa

 (also couch) (British also settee) noun
a long soft seat for more than one person:
Jane and Bob were sitting on the sofa.

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

sofa

sofa /ˈsəʊfə $ ˈsoʊ-/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Date: 1600-1700; Language: Arabic; Origin: suffah 'long seat']
a comfortable seat with raised arms and a back, that is wide enough for two or three people to sit on SYN couch, settee British English

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

sofa

sofa [sofa sofas]   [ˈsəʊfə]    [ˈsoʊfə]  noun
a long comfortable seat with a back and arms, for two or more people to sit on
Syn:  settee, Syn: couch 
 
Word Origin:
early 17th cent.: from French, based on Arabic ṣuffa.  
Example Bank:
Amy collapsed on her overstuffed leather sofa.
He got up from the sofa to fetch some drinks.
He slumped back on the sofa in tears.
I fell asleep on the sofa.
I might have to hide behind the sofa if the movie gets too scary!
I spent the evening sprawled on the sofa, watching TV.
I was lying on my living-room sofa.
She sank into the deep sofa.
She was curled up on the sofa.
The convertible sofa means that the apartment can sleep four.

a sofa bed

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

sofa / ˈsəʊ.fə /   / ˈsoʊ- / noun [ C ] ( UK also settee )

sofa

A2 a long, soft seat with a back and usually arms, on which more than one person can sit at the same time

© Cambridge University Press 2013

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

sofa

 /soʊfə/
(sofas)

A sofa is a long, comfortable seat with a back and usually with arms, which two or three people can sit on.

= settee, couch

N-COUNT
 

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

sofa
 

so·fa /ˈsoʊfə/ noun, pl -fas [count] : a long and comfortable piece of furniture on which a person can sit or lie down

chair

chair [noun] (FURNITURE)
US /tʃer/ 
UK /tʃeər/ 
Example: 

The room was full of empty chairs.

A seat for one person, which has a back, usually four legs, and sometimes two arms

Persian equivalent: 
Example: 

The room was full of empty chairs.

Oxford Essential Dictionary

chair

 noun

1 a piece of furniture for one person to sit on, with four legs, a seat and a back:
a table and four chairs

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

chair

I.   noun

I. chair1 S1 W2 /tʃeə $ tʃer/ noun
 [Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: chaiere, from Latin cathedra, from Greek, from kata- ( ⇨ cataclysm) + hedra 'seat']

 1. [countable] a piece of furniture for one person to sit on, which has a back, a seat, and four legs:
   • a kitchen chair
   • They bought a new table and chairs.
   • One of the chair legs was broken.
  on/in a chair
   • She was sitting on a wooden chair.
   • He sat back in his chair.
 2. [singular] the position of being in charge of a meeting or committee, or the person who is in charge of it:
   • Address your questions to the chair, please.
  be in the chair
   • Who will be in the chair at tomorrow’s meeting?
  chair of
   • He was nominated as chair of the board of governors.
 3. [countable] the position of being a university professor
  chair of
   • a new Chair of Medicine
 4. the chair American English informal the electric chair
     • • •

COLLOCATIONS■ verbs

   ▪ sit in/on a chairShe sat in her favourite chair.
   ▪ pull/draw up a chair (=move a chair nearer someone or something)Pull up a chair and look at these pictures.
   ▪ take a chair (=sit down in one in a particular place)Brian took a chair beside his wife.
   ▪ lean back in your chairHe leant back in his chair and took out his pipe.
   ▪ sink/slump/flop into a chair (=sit down in one in a tired or unhappy way)Greg groaned and sank into his chair.
   ▪ collapse in/into a chair (=sit down suddenly because you are very tired or upset)Eileen collapsed into a chair and burst out crying.
   ▪ get up from your chair (also rise from your chair formal) • He got up from his chair and walked to the window.
   ▪ jump up from your chair (=get up quickly)‘Look at the time!’ she cried, jumping up from her chair.
   ▪ push back your chair (=in order to get up)He pushed back his chair and stood up.
   ▪ lounge in a chair (=sit in one in a very relaxed way)Everyone was outside, lounging in chairs in the sun.

■ adjectives

   ▪ a comfortable chair (also a comfy chair informal) • The hotel had a TV room with some nice comfy chairs.
   ▪ a hard chair (=not comfortable)I sat on a hard chair in the corridor and waited.
   ▪ an empty chair (=with no one using it)She came and sat in an empty chair beside me.
   ▪ a wooden/plastic/leather etc chairIn the kitchen was a table with six wooden chairs around it.
   ▪ a folding chair (=one which you can fold so it is flat)People were sitting on blankets or folding chairs, listening to the outdoor concert.

■ chair + NOUN

   ▪ a chair leg/arm/back/seatThe chair leg has broken.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

chair

chair [chair chairs chaired chairing] noun, verb   [tʃeə(r)]    [tʃer] 

noun
 

1. countable a piece of furniture for one person to sit on, with a back, a seat and four legs

• a table and chairs

• Sit on your chair!

• an old man asleep in a chair (= an armchair )

• dining/kitchen chairs

see also  armchair, deckchair, easy chair, high chair, musical chairs, rocking chair, wheelchair

2. the chair singular the position of being in charge of a meeting or committee; the person who holds this position

• She takes the chair in all our meetings.

• Who is in the chair today?

• He was elected chair of the city council.

• All remarks should be addressed to the chair.

3. countable the position of being in charge of a department in a university

• He holds the chair of philosophy at Oxford.

4. the chair singular (US, informal) =  electric chair 

Word Origin:

Middle English: from Old French chaiere (modern chaire ‘bishop's throne, etc.’, chaise ‘chair’), from Latin cathedra ‘seat’, from Greek kathedra. Compare with cathedral.

Thesaurus:

chair noun C

• Sit on your chair!

• a wheelchair/deckchair/high chair/rocking chair

seat • • armchair • • throne • • stool

in/into/out of a/an chair/seat/armchair

on/onto/off a chair/seat/throne/stool

Chair or seat? A chair is a piece of furniture designed for sitting on; a seat is anywhere that you can sit:

• a set of dining/kitchen chairs

 ¤ a set of dining/kitchen seats:

• We used the old tree stump as a seat.

 ¤ We used the old tree stump as a chair. Seat is also used for the place where you sit in a vehicle:

• the passenger seat/driver's seat (= in a car)

• an aisle/a window seat (= in a bus/plane/train)

Example Bank:

• ‘Please, be my guest.’ He gestured towards an empty chair.

• A cat was asleep on the chair.

• A chair lift carried us to the top of the ski run.

• A chair stood facing the window.

• A private benefactor endowed the new Chair of Japanese Literature.

• Anne took the chair in Carol's absence.

• Anne took the chair= was chairperson in Carol's absence.

• Come in and take a chair.

• He gave her his chair.

• He gestured to an empty chair.

• He got up from his chair to address the meeting.

• He held the Chair of Botany at Cambridge University for thirty years.

• He held the Chair of Psychology at Yale.

• He lay back in the reclining chair and went to sleep.

• He pulled out a chair for her.

• He pushed back his chair and got to his feet.

• He put his feet up on the desk and lay back in his chair.

• He sank into his chair and opened the letter.

• He sat nervously on the edge of his chair.

• He was shifting about uneasily in his chair.

• Lisa heard a chair scraping the floor.

• Paul Ryan was in the chair at today's meeting.

• Paul Ryan was in the chair= was chairperson at today's meeting.

• Please address your questions to the chair.

• She always swivels around in her chair.

• She dropped her bags and flopped down into the nearest chair.

• She gripped the arm of her chair as she spoke.

• She leaned back in her chair and lit a cigarette.

• She returned to the swivel chair behind her desk.

• She swivelled round in her chair and picked up the phone.

• She tipped her chair back and fixed her gaze full upon him.

• The chair creaked every time I moved.

• They straightened in their chairs when the manager burst in.

• a dining table and four matching chairs

• a set of antique dining chairs

• a high chair

• a rocking chair

• an old man asleep in a chair

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition
 

chair / tʃeə r /   / tʃer / noun [ C ] (FURNITURE)

A1 a seat for one person, which has a back, usually four legs, and sometimes two arms

→  See also armchair noun , deckchair , pushchair , wheelchair

See picture in the office

the chair

informal for the electric chair

© Cambridge University Press 2013

Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

chair

/tʃeə(r)/
(chairs, chairing, chaired)

Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.

1.
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.
N-COUNT

2.
At a university, a chair is the post of professor.
He has been appointed to the chair of sociology at Southampton University...
N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of/in n

3.
The person who is the chair of a committee or meeting is the person in charge of it.
She is the chair of the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Military.
= chairperson
N-COUNT: usu sing, oft N of n

4.
If you chair a meeting or a committee, you are the person in charge of it.
He was about to chair a meeting in Venice of EU foreign ministers...
VERB: V n

5.
The chair is the same as the electric chair. (AM)
N-SING: the N

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary: 

1chair /ˈʧeɚ/ noun, pl chairs
1 [count] : a seat for one person that has a back and usually four legs
• a chair by the window
• We'll need a table and four chairs for the dining room.
• Please pull up a chair [=bring a chair to where we are] and join us.
2 [count]
a : the person who is the leader of a department at a college or university
• He is now chair of the English department.
b : the person who is the leader of a meeting, organization, committee, or event
• She's chair of the school board this year.
• Address any questions to the committee chair.
- see also chairman, chairperson, chairwoman
3 the chair US informal : electric chair
• a murderer who was sentenced/sent to the chair

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