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Definition of chamber noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

chamber

noun
 
 
/ˈtʃeɪmbə(r)/
 
/ˈtʃeɪmbər/
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  1.  
    [countable] a hall in a public building that is used for formal meetings
    • The members left the council chamber.
    • the Senate/House chamber
    see also Chamber of Commerce
    Extra Examples
    • He had to answer some tricky questions from the floor of the debating chamber.
    • She is due to deliver a speech in the senate chamber.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • grand
    • great
    • large
    • …
    preposition
    • in a/​the chamber
    See full entry
  2.  
    (also Chamber)
    [countable + singular or plural verb] one of the parts of a parliament
    • the Lower/Upper Chamber (= in Britain, the House of Commons/House of Lords)
    • The party has gained more seats in the Chamber of Deputies in the Italian parliament.
    • Under Senate rules, the chamber must vote on the bill by this Friday.
    • The chamber has/have been very vocal in supporting these initiatives.
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    Extra Examples
    • She believes there should be an elected second chamber to replace the House of Lords.
    • There are plans to abolish the non-elected upper chamber of the federal legislature.
    • They are seeking to overturn the Liberal majority in the second chamber.
    Topics Politicsc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • lower
    • upper
    • first
    • …
    phrases
    • chamber of commerce
    See full entry
  3. [countable] (in compounds) a room used for the particular purpose that is mentioned
    • a Bronze Age burial chamber
    see also decompression chamber, gas chamber, hyperbaric chamber
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • dark
    • darkened
    • private
    • …
    verb + chamber
    • enter
    • seal
    chamber + noun
    • door
    See full entry
  4. [countable] a space in the body, in a plant or in a machine that is separated from the rest
    • the chambers of the heart
    • the rocket’s combustion chamber
    • the chamber of a gun (= the part that holds the bullets)
  5. [countable] a space under the ground that is almost completely closed on all sides
    • They found themselves in a vast underground chamber.
    see also echo chamber
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • dark
    • darkened
    • private
    • …
    verb + chamber
    • enter
    • seal
    chamber + noun
    • door
    See full entry
  6. [countable] (old use) a bedroom or private room
    • Lady Eleanor was found dead in her chamber.
    Topics Buildingsc2
    7. Word OriginMiddle English (in the sense ‘private room’): from Old French chambre, from Latin camera ‘vault, arched chamber’, from Greek kamara ‘object with an arched cover’.
See chamber in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee chamber in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: chamber

Nearby words

dizzy
adjective
 
 
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