chorus
Syllables: chor·us/ˈkɔːɹəs//ˈkoɹəs/
chorus noun: a group of singers and dancers in a theatrical performance or religious festival who commented on the main performance in speech or song.
Noun
chorus (plural choruses or (obsolete) chorusses or (rare) chori)
- A group of singers and dancers in a theatrical performance or religious festival who commented on the main performance in speech or song.
- [W]ee would that the voice and dialect of the propheteſſe Pythia, reſembling the ſpeech of a Chorus in a tragedie from a ſcaffold, ſhould pronounce her anſwers not in ſimple, plaine, and triviall termes, without any grace to ſet them out, but with Poeticall magnificence of high and ſtately verſes...1603, Plutarch, “Why the Prophetesse Pythia Giveth No Answers Now from the Oracle in Verse or Meeter”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Philosophie, Commonlie Called, The Morals […], London: […]...
- A song performed by the singers of such a group.
- And the Apocalyps of Saint Iohn is the majeſtick image of a high and ſtately Tragedy, ſhutting up and intermingling her ſolemn Scenes and Acts with a ſevenfold Chorus of halleluja's and harping ſymphonies: […]1642 (indicated as 1641), John Milton, The Reason of Church-governement Urg’d against Prelaty […], London: […] E[dward] G[riffin] for Iohn Rothwell, […], →OCLC, 2nd book, page 39
- An actor who reads the prologue and epilogue of a play, and sometimes also acts as a commentator or narrator; also, a portion of a play read by this actor.
- Enter Chorus. / Cut is the branch that might haue growne ful ſtraight, / And burned is Apolloes Laurel bough, / That ſometime grew within this learned man: […]1589–1592 (date written), Ch[ristopher] Marl[owe], The Tragicall History of D. Faustus. […], London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Thomas Bushell, published 1604, →OCLC, signature [F3], recto
- Ya're as good as a Chorus my lord.c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell...
- A group of singers performing together; a choir; specifically, such a group singing together in a musical, an opera, etc., as distinct from the soloists; an ensemble.
- The performance of the chorus was awe-inspiring and exhilarating.
- They are shadowed by a robed chorus of Beckettian sages--Homer (Joseph Grimm), Hesiod (Gary Kelley), Herodotos (Daniel Parker) and Thucydides (Michael Rivkin)--given to Joseph Campbell-like pronouncements on the power of myth.1994 March 22, Jan Breslauer, “THEATER REVIEW : An Eclectic ‘Oresteia’ Opens Actors’ Gang’s New Home”, in Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, Calif.: Los Angeles Times Communications, →ISSN, →OCLC...
- A group of people in a performance who recite together.
- An instance of singing by a group of people.
- But once out of sight of those fearful precincts, the psalm was forgotten, and again broke, loud, clear, and silvery, the joyous chorus.1848, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter I, in Harold, the Last of the Saxon Kings; […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, book I (The Norman Visitor, the Saxon King, and the...
- A group of angels, or of types of angels like seraphim.
- A group of people, animals, or inanimate objects who make sounds together.
- a chorus of crickets a chorus of whiners
- More than just an appliance, the air conditioner is a memento mori. […] As summer proceeds, listen to the chorus of machines humming in the windows, outside the houses, atop the office buildings.2017 August 9, Shane Cashman, “The Moral History of Air-Conditioning”, in The Atlantic
- The noise or sound made by such a group.
- a chorus of shouts and catcalls
- As she came to the last line [of a song], her soft low voice seemed to awaken a chorus of sprightly horns and trumpets, and certain other wind instruments peculiar to the music of that day.1848, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter I, in Harold, the Last of the Saxon Kings; […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, book I (The Norman Visitor, the Saxon King, and the...
- A group of people who express a unanimous opinion.
- So far, more than a dozen EU countries have either enacted a windfall tax or said they’re planning to. […] On Monday, US President Joe Biden joined the chorus, accusing oil companies of “war profiteering” and threatening them with big new levies if they fail to bring down consumer prices.2022 November 2, “Windfall Taxes Are All the Rage. They Shouldn’t Be.”, in The Washington Post
- Donald Trump’s top political staffers at Mar-a-Lago are pressing him to move forward with his planned 2024 presidential campaign announcement next week but a chorus of allies are suggesting delaying until after the Senate runoff in Georgia in December, according to sources familiar with the matter.2022 November 11, Hugo Lowell, “Rift in Trump’s inner circle over 2024 presidential campaign announcement”, in The Guardian
- The opinion expressed by such a group.
- On Friday, 75 scholars and clinicians signed an open letter, joining a chorus of disagreement with Berenson by arguing that “establishing marijuana as a causal link to violence at the individual level is both theoretically and empirically problematic”.2019 February 17, Jamiles Lartey, “Popular book on marijuana's apparent dangers is pure alarmism, experts say”, in The Guardian
- A piece of music, especially one in a larger work such as an opera, written to be sung by a choir in parts (for example, by sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses).
Show 6 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
- A part of a song which is repeated between verses to emphasize the song's content; a refrain.
- The catchiest part of most songs is the chorus.
- [T]he commodore, the lieutenant, and landlord, joined in the chorus, repeating this elegant ſtanza: […]1751, [Tobias] Smollett, “An Account of Mr. Gamaliel Pickle. […]”, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC, page 10...
- The main part of a pop song played after the introduction.
- A group of organ pipes or organ stops intended to be played simultaneously; a compound stop; also, the sound made by such pipes or stops.
- A feature or setting in electronic music that makes one instrument sound like many.
- A simple, often repetitive, song intended to be sung in a group during informal worship.
- The improvised solo section in a small group performance.
- Of additional interest is the riff in the second chorus, which was later copied by Joe Garland and recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra as "In the Mood," becoming the biggest hit of the Swing Era.2002, Thomas E. Larson, History and Tradition of Jazz, Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing, →ISBN
- Jazz solos in the 1920s are much more about variety and discontinuity than unity and coherence. The explosive introduction, the instrutable and tender scat-clarinet dialogue, the spritely piano chorus, and the majestic trumpet chorus—contrast is far more important than unity.2014, Thomas Brothers, “‘Some Kind of a God’”, in Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism, New York, N.Y.; London: W[illiam] W[arder] Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 299
Verb
chorus (third-person singular simple present choruses or (rare) chorusses, present participle chorusing or (rare) chorussing, simple past and past participle chorused or (rare) chorussed)
- To sing (a song), express (a sentiment), or recite or say (words) in chorus.
- In the middle of the little woody bay, or rather basin, which received the scanty waters of the stream, an armed sloop lay at anchor, and he heard the din of license and carousal on board,—the hasty oath—the hearty laugh—and the boisterous song, chorussed by a score of rough voices, which made the...1826, Allan Cunningham, chapter V, in Paul Jones; a Romance. […], volume II, Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd; London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, & Green, →OCLC, page 125
- Shortly afterwards, all England was engaged in chorussing his favourite ditty— […]1826, [Walter Scott], chapter XIV, in Woodstock; Or, The Cavalier. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, and...
- Synonyms:
- duet
- To express concurrence with (something said by another person); to echo.
- "Yes," said the king; "Come, Hop-Frog, lend us your assistance. Characters, my fine fellow; we stand in need of characters—all of us—ha! ha! ha!" and as this was seriously meant for a joke, his laugh was chorused by the seven.1849 March 17, Edgar Allan Poe, “Hop-Frog”, in The Works of the Late Edgar Allan Poe: […], volumes II (Poems and Miscellanies), New York, N.Y.: J. S. Redfield, […], published 1850, →OCLC, page 458
- To provide (a song) with a chorus or refrain.
- Let ev'ry Song be Choruſt with his Name. / And Muſick pay her Tribute to his Fame.1701 January (indicated as 1700), [Daniel Defoe], “Part II”, in The True-Born Englishman. A Satyr, [London: s.n.], →OCLC, page 55
- To sing the chorus or refrain of a song.
- Malcolm sung an Erse song, the chorus of which was 'Hatyin foam foam eri', with words of his own. […] the boatmen and Mr M’Queen chorused, and all went well.1785, James Boswell, The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson, LL.D, Wednesday, 8th September, 1773, http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/6018/pg6018-images.html
- To sing, express, or say in, or as if in, unison.
- Then they all chorus'd upon me—Such a character as Miſs Harlowe's! cry'd one—A lady of ſo much generoſity and good ſenſe! another— […]1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter XXX. Mr. Lovelace, to John Belford, Esq.”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: […], volume VI, London: […] S[amuel] Richardson; [a]nd sold by John Osborn...
- Six State Commissioners of Education gloomily chorused about retrenchments, pay cuts and shut-down schools in Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Washington, Massachusetts and Maine.1933 August 14, “No Slice for Teachers”, in Time
- To echo in unison another person's words.
- Then she shouted: "Viva our Lady of Grace," and the crowd chorused.1947 October 20, “Miracle Man”, in Time
- Of animals: to make cries or sounds together.
- Then the cocks began to crow in the town beneath the hill, and the birds chorused in the fields, and a pale yellow poppy colored the east.1987, Tanith Lee, Night's Sorceries, New York: Daw Books, page 122
- The hens are now sleeping in rows on their perches in the coops, and the frogs are out of the water and chorusing away along the bed of the whole torrent, from source to mouth.1998, Italo Calvino, The Path to the Spiders' Nests, translated by Archibald Colquhoun, revised by Martin McLaughlin, Hopewell, NJ: The Ecco Press, 1998, Chapter Two, p. 51
Proper noun capitalized: Chorus
Chorus (uncountable)
- A group of singers and dancers in a theatrical performance or religious festival who commented on the main performance in speech or song.
- Enter Chorus. / Cut is the branch that might haue growne ful ſtraight, / And burned is Apolloes Laurel bough, / That ſometime grew within this learned man: […]1589–1592 (date written), Ch[ristopher] Marl[owe], The Tragicall History of D. Faustus. […], London: […] V[alentine] S[immes] for Thomas Bushell, published 1604, →OCLC, signature [F3], recto
- Ya're as good as a Chorus my lord.c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shake-speare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (First Quarto), London: […] [Valentine Simmes] for N[icholas] L[ing] and Iohn Trundell...
- A song performed by the singers of such a group.
chorus meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu
chorus in Hindi
- part of a song repeated between verses — see also refrain
- कोरस koras
chorus in Tamil
- கூட்டுப்பாடல்
chorus in Marathi
- कोरस
chorus in Urdu
- chorus
- استھالی astḥāli
More languagesFewer languages
- chorus in Bengali
- ধুয়া, গায়কদল
- chorus in Telugu
- కోరస్
- chorus in Malayalam
- ഗായകസംഘം, ഗായകഗണം
- chorus in Kannada
- ಸುವ್ವಲೆ, ಸುವ್ವಿ, ವೃಂದಗಾನ, ವೃಂದಗಾಯಕರು
- chorus in Punjabi
- ਕੋਰਾਸ
- chorus in Gujarati
- કોરસ
- chorus in Odia
- କୋରାସ, କୋରାସ୍
- chorus in Nepali
- कोरास
- chorus in Arabic
- كَوْرَس kawras, كُورَس kōras, لَازِمَة lāzima, قَرَار qarār
- chorus in Malay
- korus
- chorus in Thai
- คายกคณะ kaa-yá-gà-ká-ná, ลูกคู่ lûuk-kûu, คณะประสานเสียง ká-ná-bprà-sǎan-sǐiang, คณะนักร้องประสานเสียง
- chorus in Vietnamese
- hợp xướng, điệp khúc
Examples of chorus in a sentence
- Enter Time, the Chorus. [stage direction]c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […]...
- But the rise of multiracialism is not all Kumbaya choruses and “postracial” identity.2008 March 23, Peggy Orenstein, “Mixed Messenger”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 06 Nov 2020:
- See the flowing bowl before us, / Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la! / Strike the harp and join the chorus. / Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la!1862, T[homas] Oliphant; John Thomas, arranger, “No. 15. Nos Galan. New Year’s Eve. [Deck the Halls]”, in Welsh Melodies: With Welsh and...
- […] I could not even affect to join in the stereotyped "Oh, thank you!" which was chorused around me.1893, Lewis Carroll [pseudonym; Charles Lutwidge Dodgson], “Jabbering and Jam”, in Sylvie and Bruno Concluded, London; New York, N.Y....
Synonyms of chorus
Forms of chorus
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | choruses |
| plural (obsolete) | chorusses |
| plural (rare) | chori |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | choruses |
| present participle | chorusing |
| past participle | chorused |
| past | chorused |
| third-person singular present (rare) | chorusses |
| present participle (rare) | chorussing |
| past participle (rare) | chorussed |
| past (rare) | chorussed |
Origin of chorus
The noun is borrowed from Medieval Latin chorus (“church choir”), Latin chorus (“group of dancers and singers; dance”), from Ancient Greek χορός (khorós, “group of dancers and singers, choir, chorus; dance accompanied by song; round dance”); The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of choir, chore, and hora.
From Medieval Latin chorus, Latin chorus, from Ancient Greek χορός (khorós).
Words formed from chorus
Phrases with chorus
Words that rhyme with chorus
- torus
- thesaurus
- chlorous
- dawn chorus
- decorous
- hypertorus
- porous
- Taurus
- -saurus
- Eye of Horus
- Horus
- keratotorus
7 more rhymesFewer rhymes
Questions about chorus
- What does chorus mean?
- Chorus means a group of singers and dancers in a theatrical performance or religious festival who commented on the main performance in speech or song.
- What is chorus in Hindi?
- Chorus in Hindi is कोरस (koras). See Chorus meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use chorus in a sentence?
- Enter Time, the Chorus. [stage direction]
- What part of speech is chorus?
- Chorus can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce chorus?
- Chorus is pronounced /ˈkɔːɹəs/ (UK).
- What is the plural of chorus?
- The plural of chorus is choruses.
Words near chorus in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: chorus (page history and authors); Chorus (page history and authors); chorus (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); chorus (Marathi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); استھالی (Urdu) (page history and authors); chorus (Bengali Wiktionary) (page history and authors); chorus (Telugu, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); chorus (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); chorus (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); chorus (Punjabi, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); chorus (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); chorus (Odia, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); chorus (Nepali, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-chorus.wav, En-us-chorus.ogg.
Cite this entry: “chorus.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/chorus. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.