musical chairs

noun

plural in form but singular in construction

: a game in which players march to music around a row of chairs numbering one less than the players and scramble for seats when the music stops

also : a situation or series of events suggesting the game of musical chairs (as in rapid change or confusing activity)

Examples of musical chairs in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Similar to a game of musical chairs, someone is left without a seat when the music stops. —

Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 31 Oct. 2024 The development comes amid fevered — and often spurious — speculation about the vast game of musical chairs playing out at the highest echelons of European fashion. —

Miles Socha, WWD, 14 Oct. 2024 The French series, rather than insisting on the stakes of its inheritance drama, treats the conceit as a wicked game of musical chairs. —

Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2024 Including the sport’s version of musical chairs in the middle of the season. —

Greg Engle, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for musical chairs

Word History

First Known Use

1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of musical chairs was in 1877

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Musical chairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/musical%20chairs. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

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