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Glite Dictionary
vice chairperson

vice chairperson

4.3
A person who helps the chairperson and takes charge when they are absent
  • noun
  • /vaɪs ˈtʃɛrˌpɜrsən/
translation icon : vicepresidente
  • During the conference, the vice chairperson presented the new policy changes to the committee.

Examples

  • The vice chairperson will take over the meeting if the chairperson is unable to attend.

  • "Diversity," says Seattle attorney Peggy A. Nagae, vice chairperson of the ABA Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession, "is not a numbers game about how many of this kind are employed here; diversity is about how decisions are made."

    Academic text (1995)

  • At the annual meeting, the vice chairperson reported on the organization's progress over the past year.

Synonyms

vice chairman
vsvice chairperson
16 3.5

A person who helps the chair of a board and stands in when needed

is gender neutral and includes people of any gender in the deputy role
vice chair
vsvice chairperson
10 3.5

A person who helps lead a group and fills in for the chair when needed

is the full formal title rather than the short informal label
vice chairwoman
vsvice chairperson
1 5.1

A woman who is second in charge to the chair and leads when the chair is absent

is gender neutral and applies to any person holding that deputy role

Surface Forms

vice chairperson singular
vice chairpersons plural

Morphology

vice + chairperson

The meaning 'person who ranks immediately below the chairperson' is directly compositional from 'vice' (meaning deputy or second-in-command) + 'chairperson'. This is a common, cross-linguistic formal prefix construction (e.g., vice-president) and would be immediately understandable to learners who know both constituents.

Etymology

The phrase vice chairperson paints a simple picture: vice means 'in place of' and chairperson is the person who leads a meeting. So the vice chairperson steps into the chair and acts for the leader when needed.