- an organized group of singers, esp for singing in church services or public performances
- the part of a cathedral, abbey, or church in front of the altar, lined on both sides with benches, and used by the choir and clergy
Compare chancel - a number of instruments of the same family playing together: a brass choir
- Also called: choir organ one of the manuals on an organ controlling a set of soft sweet-toned pipes
Compare great, swell
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
choir /kwaɪr/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Music and Dancea group of singers, esp. performing in a church service.
- Music and Dancea group of instruments of the same kind:a brass choir.
choir
(kwīər),USA pronunciation n.
adj.
v.t., v.i.
choir′like′, adj.
- Music and Dancea company of singers, esp. an organized group employed in church service.
- Music and Danceany group of musicians or musical instruments;
a musical company, or band, or a division of one:string choir. - Architecture
- the part of a church occupied by the singers of the choir.
- the part of a cruciform church east of the crossing.
- Religion(in medieval angelology) one of the orders of angels.
adj.
- Religionprofessed to recite or chant the divine office:a choir monk.
v.t., v.i.
- Music and Danceto sing or sound in chorus.
- Latin
- Latin chorus chorus; replacing Old English chor choir
- Old French cuer
- Middle English quer 1250–1300
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
choir /kwaɪə/ n
'choir' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
anthem
- baton
- cantor
- cantorial
- cantoris
- chancel
- choirboy
- choir school
- choral
- chorale
- chorister
- chorus
- conduct
- conductor
- contralto
- decanal
- decani
- direction
- female
- Gardiner
- gradual
- great
- introduction
- loft
- male
- Mass
- misericord
- Palestrina
- philharmonic
- precentor
- presbytery
- quire
- recession
- recessional
- response
- screen
- stall
- swell
- triforium
- Trollope
- tuning
- tutti
- versicle
- vicar
- a cappella
- ambulatory
- antechoir
- antiphony
- apse
- cancellus