Phrase guide

musical chairs

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

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

2

noun

Meaning 2

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

3

noun

Meaning 3

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

4

noun

Meaning 4

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

History

Etymology

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