chorus

[kawr-uhs, kohr-]

noun

plural

choruses 

1. 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.

2. simultaneous utterance in singing, speaking, shouting, etc.

3. the sounds so uttered.

   a chorus of jeers.

4. (in a musical show)

   1. a company of dancers and singers.

   2. the singing, dancing, or songs performed by such a company.

5. (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.

6. 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 

1. to sing or speak in chorus.

chorus

/ ˈkɔːrəs /

noun

1. a large choir of singers or a piece of music composed for such a choir

2. a body of singers or dancers who perform together, in contrast to principals or soloists

3. a section of a song in which a soloist is joined by a group of singers, esp in a recurring refrain

4. an intermediate section of a pop song, blues, etc, as distinct from the verse

5. jazz any of a series of variations on a theme

6. 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

7. 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

8. 1. (esp in Elizabethan drama) the actor who spoke the prologue, etc

   2. the part of the play spoken by this actor

9. a group of people or animals producing words or sounds simultaneously

10. any speech, song, or other utterance produced by a group of people or animals simultaneously

    a chorus of sighs

    the dawn chorus

11. in unison

verb

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of chorus¹

1555–65; < Latin < Greek chorós a dance, band of dancers and singers

Word History and Origins

Origin of chorus¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek khoros

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in chorus, in unison; with all speaking or singing simultaneously.

   They responded in chorus to the minister's questions.

see in chorus.

Example Sentences

“Nowhere Is Where” is silent but lethal, Price’s gorgeously textured voice over an acoustic guitar, small harmonies on the chorus, an upright bass over in the corner, a fiddle underscoring the anguish.

From Salon

“Going to the mountain just to go / it’s the old way / it’s the only way I know, a mountain, an echo / a coming back and coming back, a chorus.”

From Los Angeles Times

But they join her for the chorus: "The Communist Party guides China on the path to power and wealth!"

From BBC

A chorus of construction equipment cuts through the chaos of a preseason football practice, the whole scene a reminder that USC, in Year 4 of the Lincoln Riley era, is building toward something.

From Los Angeles Times

After pop star Anne-Marie, surrounded by pyrotechnics and whirling dancers' limbs, had completed the pre-match show, it took only three minutes for the first chorus of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot to ring around the stands.

From BBC

Related Words

• melody 
• music 
• theme 
• tune