armchair

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arm·chair

(ärm′châr′)

A chair with side structures to support the arms or elbows.

adj.

1. Not actively involved in or responsible for something, while nonetheless inclined to offer opinions or advice: "that greatest weapon of all armchair generals—hindsight" (Brooks D. Simpson).

2. Taking part vicariously, as through reading: armchair detectives; an armchair traveler.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

armchair

(ˈɑːmˌtʃɛə)

1. (Furniture) a chair, esp an upholstered one, that has side supports for the arms or elbows

2. (modifier) taking no active part; lacking practical experience; theoretical: an armchair strategist.

3. (modifier) participated in away from the place of action or in the home: armchair theatre.

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

arm•chair

(ˈɑrmˌtʃɛər)

n.

1. a chair with sidepieces or arms to support a person's forearms or elbows.

adj.

2. theorizing without the benefit of practical experience: an armchair strategist.

3. participating vicariously: an armchair traveler.

[1625–35]

chair

– armchair

1. 'chair'

A chair is a piece of furniture for one person to sit on, with a support for the person's back. When a chair is a very simple one, you say that someone sits on it.

Anne was sitting on an upright chair.

Sit on this chair, please.

When a chair is a comfortable one, you usually say that someone sits in it.

He leaned back in his chair and looked out of the window.

2. 'armchair'

An armchair is a comfortable chair with a support on each side for your arms. You always say that someone sits in an armchair.

He was sitting quietly in his armchair, smoking a pipe and reading the paper.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

armchair - chair with a support on each side for arms

arm - the part of an armchair or sofa that supports the elbow and forearm of a seated person

captain's chair - a wooden armchair with a saddle seat and a low back that has vertical spindles

chair - a seat for one person, with a support for the back; "he put his coat over the back of the chair and sat down"

easy chair, lounge chair, overstuffed chair - a comfortable upholstered armchair

fauteuil - an upholstered armchair

Morris chair - an armchair with an adjustable back

recliner, reclining chair, lounger - an armchair whose back can be lowered and foot can be raised to allow the sitter to recline in it

Translations

كُرسي ذو ذِراعَيْنكُرْسِيٌّ مُزَوَّدٌ بِذِراعَيْـن

křeslo

lænestol

nojatuoli

naslonjačfotelja

fotelkarosszékkarszék

hægindastóll

poltrona

肘掛け椅子

안락 의자

naslanjač

fåtölj

เก้าอี้มีที่วางแขน

koltukpazıbent

ghế bành

扶手椅扶手椅子

armchair

[ˈɑːmtʃɛəʳ]

A. N → sillón m

B. CPD armchair general N → general mf de salón
armchair strategist N → estratega mf de salón, estratega mf de café

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

armchair

[ˈɑː^rmtʃɛə^r]

n → fauteuil m

modif [fan, supporter, tourist] → de salon

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

armchair

n → Sessel m, → Lehnstuhl m

adj armchair philosopher → Stubengelehrte(r) mf; armchair politician → Stammtischpolitiker(in) m(f); armchair strategist → Stammtisch- or Salonstratege m → /-strategin f; he is an armchair traveller (Brit) or traveler (US) → er reist nur mit dem Finger auf der Landkarte (inf)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

armchair

[ˈɑːmˌtʃɛəʳ] n → poltrona

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

arm¹

(aːm) noun

1. the part of the body between the shoulder and the hand. He has broken both his arms.

2. anything shaped like or similar to this. She sat on the arm of the chair.

ˈarmful noun

as much as a person can hold in one arm or in both arms. an armful of flowers/clothes.

ˈarmband noun

a strip of cloth etc worn round the arm. The people all wore black armbands as a sign of mourning.

ˈarmchair noun

a chair with arms at each side.

ˈarmpit noun

the hollow under the arm at the shoulder.

ˌarm-in-ˈarm adverb

(of two or more people) with arms linked together. They walked along arm-in-arm.

keep at arm's length

to avoid becoming too friendly with someone. She keeps her new neighbours at arm's length.

with open arms

with a very friendly welcome. He greeted them with open arms.

armchair

→ كُرْسِيٌّ مُزَوَّدٌ بِذِراعَيْـن křeslo lænestol Sessel πολυθρόνα sillón nojatuoli fauteuil naslonjač poltrona 肘掛け椅子 안락 의자 leunstoel lenestol fotel poltrona кресло fåtölj เก้าอี้มีที่วางแขน koltuk ghế bành 扶手椅子

References in classic literature ?

A narrow hall separated the kitchen from the parlour, where Madame Aubain sat all day in a straw armchair near the window.

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Milady, who had arisen, threw herself quickly into the armchair, her head thrown back, her beautiful hair unbound and disheveled, her bosom half bare beneath her crumpled lace, one hand on her heart, and the other hanging down.

Felton sat down upon an armchair which happened to be near the door, and waited without speaking a word, without making a gesture.

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The captain in his armchair, holding on grimly at the head of the table, with the soup-tureen rolling on one side of the cabin and the steward sprawling on the other, would observe, looking at me: "That's your one-third above the beams.

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Mingott; and around and below, wave after wave of black silk surged away over the edges of a capacious armchair, with two tiny white hands poised like gulls on the surface of the billows.

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John Douglas met them at the door and took them into the sitting-room, where his mother was enthroned in an armchair.

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Comfortably installed in an armchair the man of medicine stared into the glowing coals and thought deeply and long, but apparently to little purpose, for he frequently rose and opening a door leading to the staircase, listened intently; then resumed his seat.

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She allowed her cap and jacket to be taken, and sat down with a girlish snuggle in the big armchair by Magog.

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When he had gone into the little drawing room, where he always had tea, and had settled himself in his armchair with a book , and Agafea Mihalovna had brought him tea, and with her usual, "Well, I'll stay a while, sir," had taken a chair in the window, he felt that, however strange it might be, he had not parted from his daydreams, and that he could not live without them.

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For on the topmost tier of the hotel verandah, after being carried up the steps in an armchair amid a bevy of footmen, maid-servants, and other menials of the hotel, headed by the landlord (that functionary had actually run out to meet a visitor who arrived with so much stir and din, attended by her own retinue, and accompanied by so great a pile of trunks and portmanteaux)--on the topmost tier of the verandah, I say, there was sitting--THE GRANDMOTHER!

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Haldin, with her immobility of feature and kindly expression of the eyes, uttered from her armchair in her uncertain French, " Mais l'ami reviendra.

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The princess sank helplessly into an armchair beside her father and wept.

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