CHORUS Definition & Meaning

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chorus

[ kawr-uhs, kohr- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

plural choruses.

Music.
1. a group of persons singing in unison.
2. (in an opera, oratorio, etc.) such a group singing choral parts in connection with soloists or individual singers.
3. a piece of music for singing in unison.
4. a part of a song that recurs at intervals, usually following each verse; refrain.
simultaneous utterance in singing, speaking, shouting, etc.
the sounds so uttered:
a chorus of jeers.
(in a musical show)
1. a company of dancers and singers.
2. the singing, dancing, or songs performed by such a company.
(in ancient Greece)
1. a lyric poem, believed to have been in dithyrambic form, that was sung and danced to, originally as a religious rite, by a company of persons.
2. an ode or series of odes sung by a group of actors in ancient Greek drama.
3. the group of actors that performed the chorus and served as major participants in, commentators on, or as a supplement to the main action of the drama.
Theater.
1. a group of actors or a single actor having a function similar to that of the Greek chorus, as in Elizabethan drama.
2. the part of a play performed by such a group or individual.

verb (used with or without object)

chorused, chorusing.

to sing or speak in chorus.

chorus

/ ˈ��ɔː��ə�� /

noun

a large choir of singers or a piece of music composed for such a choir
a body of singers or dancers who perform together, in contrast to principals or soloists
a section of a song in which a soloist is joined by a group of singers, esp in a recurring refrain
an intermediate section of a pop song, blues, etc, as distinct from the verse
jazz any of a series of variations on a theme
in ancient Greece
1. a lyric poem sung by a group of dancers, originally as a religious rite
2. an ode or series of odes sung by a group of actors
1. (in classical Greek drama) the actors who sang the chorus and commented on the action of the play
2. actors playing a similar role in any drama
1. (esp in Elizabethan drama) the actor who spoke the prologue, etc
2. the part of the play spoken by this actor
a group of people or animals producing words or sounds simultaneously
any speech, song, or other utterance produced by a group of people or animals simultaneously
a chorus of sighs
the dawn chorus
in chorus
in unison

verb

to speak, sing, or utter (words, etc) in unison

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of chorus¹

1555–65; < Latin < Greek ��ǰ�ó�� a dance, band of dancers and singers

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of chorus¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek khoros

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

in chorus, in unison; with all speaking or singing simultaneously:
They responded in chorus to the minister's questions.

More idioms and phrases containing chorus

see in chorus .

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Camil’s perspective is among a comparatively vast and diverse chorus of American and Vietnamese voices comprising “Turning Point: The Vietnam War” — some famous, many ordinary, most complementary and others contradictory.

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So I sent Joe these videos of me singing this little chorus and told him how the riff goes.

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Tragedy’s chorus typically represented a collective perspective, that of elders or ordinary citizens whose voices embodied a community’s hopes and anxieties.

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The ICRC's comments are the latest in a chorus of concern coming from the UN and other agencies.

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A growing chorus of evangelical leaders has taken to calling empathy "sinful," "toxic," and "satanic."

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

chortle chorus boy

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