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A children's game in which players circle a group of chairs. There is one chair fewer than the number of players. When someone who is not watching stops playing music, everybody sits down, and the player left without a chair is eliminated.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable
Qualifier: children's games
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Any activity which results in repeated, pointless shuffling of people or objects.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
a rearrangement that has no practical effect or significance
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- the company is looking for stability after years of musical chairs with directors
- shareholders don't want the company playing musical chairs with their investment
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: rearrangement
a child's game in which players march to music around a group of chairs that contains one chair less than the number of players; when the music abruptly stops the players scramble to sit and the player who does not find a chair is eliminated; then a chair is removed and the march resumes until only the winner is seated
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: going to Jerusalem
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: child's game
No etymology was provided for this word.
Across languages
Translations
25 source translations are retained for this English entry.
-
Chinese Mandarin:
音樂椅 /音乐椅
(yīnyuèyǐ)
— game
-
Chinese Mandarin:
抢椅子
— game
-
Dutch:
stoelendans
— game
-
Finnish:
tuolileikki
— game
-
French:
chaises musicales
— game
-
German:
Reise nach Jerusalem
— game
-
German:
Stuhltanz
— game
-
Icelandic:
stóladans
— game
-
Irish:
cathaoireacha ceoil
— game
-
Italian:
gioco della sedia
— game
-
Polish:
gorące krzesła
— game
-
Portuguese:
dança das cadeiras
— game
-
Russian:
музыка́льные сту́лья
(muzykálʹnyje stúlʹja)
— game
-
Spanish:
juego de las sillas
— game
-
Spanish:
sillita musical
— game
-
Spanish:
sillas musicales
— game
-
Spanish:
baile de las sillas
— game
-
Swedish:
hela havet stormar
— game
-
Thai:
เก้าอี้ดนตรี
(gâo-îi-don-dtrii)
— game
-
Turkish:
sandalye kapmaca
— game
-
Welsh:
chwarae newid cadeiriau
— game
-
Dutch:
stoelendans
— figuratively: activity of shuffling people
-
Finnish:
tuolileikki
— figuratively: activity of shuffling people
-
Polish:
gorące krzesła
— figuratively: activity of shuffling people
-
Swedish:
hela havet stormar
— figuratively: activity of shuffling people