chamber
chamber — noun
1. a large room where official meetings or government discussions take place; also,
a large room where official meetings or government discussions take place; also, one of the groups of people that make up a parliament, such as the upper or lower house.
The council met in the main chamber of the town hall to discuss housing laws.
countable noun for official meeting rooms
Both chambers of parliament voted in favour of the education reform.
group-of-people sense: a house of parliament
Aiko took her seat in the debating chamber, ready to speak on the new policy.
The upper chamber rejected the housing bill and sent it back for changes.
A hush fell over the chamber as the president began her annual address.
physical meeting room with audience present
- chamber of parliament
- debating chamber
- upper chamber
- lower chamber
- meeting chamber
- hall
a large room or building for public events; less formal than chamber
- assembly room
more specific to large gatherings; older term
- house
used specifically for groups within a parliament (the House of Commons)
Usage Note
When referring to a part of parliament, capitalise the name: the Upper Chamber, the Lower Chamber.
2. the private work room of a judge, used for legal talks with lawyers away from th
the private work room of a judge, used for legal talks with lawyers away from the public area of a court; almost always used in the plural form 'chambers'.
The two lawyers were called into the judge's chambers for a private meeting.
plural form 'chambers' for a judge's office
Judge Okafor reviewed the case files in his chambers before the afternoon hearing.
The settlement was agreed during a discussion in chambers, away from the jury.
prepositional phrase: in chambers
All appeal documents were filed directly with the judge's chambers by noon.
- in chambers
- judge's chambers
- meeting in chambers
- judge's office
everyday term; 'chambers' is the formal legal term
- private office
more general; not tied to legal context
Usage Note
Always plural ('chambers') even when referring to one judge's office. Never say 'a chamber' for this sense.
Common Mistakes
3. a private office or reception room used by someone with an important role, such
a private office or reception room used by someone with an important role, such as a government minister, an ambassador, or a senior business leader.
The ambassador received the delegates in his private chamber at the embassy.
private reception room for an official
The minister's chamber sat at the end of a quiet hallway on the top floor.
Staff brought the morning reports to the director's chamber for final approval.
The duke received his guests in the grand chamber of the palace.
historic/formal chamber for receiving visitors
- private chamber
- ambassador's chamber
- minister's chamber
- office
everyday word; less formal and less grand than chamber
- study
a private room for reading and work, especially in a large house
- reception room
a room where guests are formally received
Usage Note
This sense is formal and less common in everyday speech. 'Office' or 'study' is preferred in casual contexts.
4. a court proceeding that takes place in a judge's private office rather than in a
a court proceeding that takes place in a judge's private office rather than in an open courtroom, so that the public and journalists cannot attend.
The family court hearing was held in chambers to protect the children's privacy.
fixed phrase 'in chambers' for a private hearing
The judge ordered the sensitive financial dispute to be heard in chambers.
During the in-chambers session, both sides agreed to a settlement without publicity.
A divorce hearing was held in chambers to spare the family from media attention.
in chambers = private, no public access
- in chambers
- trial in chambers
- hearing in chambers
- in-chambers session
- private hearing
everyday term for a proceeding not open to the public
- closed session
broader term; can apply to any private meeting
- open court
a court hearing that the public may attend
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 2 (JUDGE'S OFFICE): sense 2 is the physical room; sense 4 is the legal proceeding that happens there. You enter chambers (room) for a hearing in chambers (proceeding).
Common Mistakes
5. a place inside a house or castle where people sleep — an old-fashioned or litera
a place inside a house or castle where people sleep — an old-fashioned or literary word for 'bedroom'.
The queen retired to her chamber for the night with a book.
literary/old-fashioned register for bedroom
Hana lit a candle in her chamber before climbing into bed.
Servants prepared the guest chamber for the arriving visitors.
The old castle had twelve sleeping chambers on the upper floor.
compound: sleeping chamber for bedroom in a castle
- sleeping chamber
- guest chamber
- royal chamber
- private chamber
- bedroom
modern everyday term for a room used for sleeping
- sleeping room
more formal but still current
- boudoir
a woman's private sitting room or bedroom; narrower in meaning
Usage Note
In modern everyday English, 'bedroom' is preferred. Use 'chamber' for historical stories, fairy tales, or formal hotel descriptions.
Common Mistakes
6. a closed space, hollow area, or compartment inside something such as a machine,
a closed space, hollow area, or compartment inside something such as a machine, a plant, or a living body — for example, the chambers of the heart or the combustion chamber of an engine.
The human heart has four chambers that pump blood around the body.
anatomy: chambers of the heart
The combustion chamber of the engine reached over eight hundred degrees.
mechanical: combustion chamber of an engine
Ravi checked the air chamber of the diving equipment before the trip.
A small chamber inside the pump helps maintain steady water pressure.
The camera's film chamber must be opened only in complete darkness.
- heart chamber
- combustion chamber
- air chamber
- anterior chamber
- chamber of the engine
- cavity
a hollow space inside a solid object or body; more technical than chamber
- compartment
a separate section within a container; more general
- hollow
an empty space inside something; less technical
Usage Note
Common in technical contexts (anatomy, engineering, mechanics). When used for body parts, often paired with a specific name: 'anterior chamber' (eye), 'combustion chamber' (engine), 'heart chamber'.
chamber — verb
1. to put something into an enclosed space or compartment, especially a bullet into
to put something into an enclosed space or compartment, especially a bullet into a gun or a sample into testing equipment.
The soldier carefully chambered a round into his rifle before the drill.
chamber + round/bullet (firearms context)
The technician chambered the blood sample in the testing machine.
Tomás chambered the film roll into the camera and closed the back cover.
The diver chambered a fresh oxygen canister before the second dive.
chamber + canister/cartridge into equipment
- chamber a round
- chamber a bullet
- chamber a sample
- chamber the film
- remove
to take something out of a chamber
Grammar Patterns
chamber + object (into/in + container)
Usage Note
Most common in firearms contexts ('chamber a round') and scientific contexts ('chamber a specimen'). Not used in everyday conversation.
2. to act as a container or enclosed space for something; to hold or house somethin
to act as a container or enclosed space for something; to hold or house something inside.
The main hall chambers the entire sculpture collection during the exhibition.
verb sense: to serve as a container/holder for
This steel vault chambers over two thousand rare historical documents.
The museum's new wing chambers the entire collection of ancient pottery.
chamber = serve as a container for (formal)
A small safe in the library chambers the university's most valued manuscripts.
- chambers the collection
- chambers the documents
Grammar Patterns
chamber + object (as container)
Usage Note
Very rare in modern English. 'Holds', 'houses', or 'contains' are much more common alternatives.
chamber — adjective
1. relating to chamber music — classical music written for a small group of instrum
relating to chamber music — classical music written for a small group of instruments, typically played without a conductor in a small room or hall.
The quartet performed a beautiful piece of chamber music at the concert.
collocation: chamber music
Leila prefers chamber works to large orchestral symphonies.
attributive: chamber works = works for small ensembles
The music school offers chamber classes for advanced violin and cello students.
Chamber works by Mozart and Brahms remain popular with audiences today.
- chamber music
- chamber orchestra
- chamber ensemble
- chamber works
- charmber concert
- small-ensemble
describes the size of the performing group
- intimate
describes the style and atmosphere of chamber music
- orchestral
relating to large symphony orchestras
- symphonic
relating to large-scale orchestral works
Usage Note
Used only attributively before a noun: chamber music, chamber orchestra, chamber ensemble. Never used predicatively ('the music is chamber').
Common Mistakes
Word family
- chamberedadjectiveC1
- antechambernounC1
- chambermaidnounB2
- chamberlainnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/6
All four words describe an enclosed space inside something, but they differ in usage and register. Chamber is the broadest term, used across anatomy (heart chambers), engineering (combustion chamber), and technology (film chamber). Cavity is more technical and often implies a natural hollow within a solid object or body, such as a tooth cavity or the nasal cavity. Compartment focuses on the idea of a divided section within a container, like a glove compartment in a car or a fridge compartment. Hollow is less technical and suggests an empty space inside a solid mass, like a hollow in a tree trunk or a hollow behind a wall. In everyday language, compartment is the most concrete ('put it in the freezer compartment'), while chamber is the most formal and specific to professional contexts.
Common collocations
Phrases
- chamber of commerce
- chamber of parliament
- chamber of the heart
Prepositions
- in chambers
- into the chamber
- chamber of
Etymology
Chamber entered English from Old French 'chambre', which came from Latin 'camera' meaning 'a vaulted room' or 'an arched ceiling'. The Latin word itself was borrowed from Greek 'kamara' (anything with an arched cover). The sense of an enclosed space within the body or a machine developed in the 14th century, while the parliamentary meaning emerged in the 17th century when legislatures began meeting in dedicated 'chambers'. The musical sense (chamber music) dates from the 18th century, referring to music suitable for a small room rather than a large concert hall.