{
    "term": "choir",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a group of people who sing together, for example in church services or public performances",
            "labels": "(British English)(especially North American English)",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She sings in the school choir."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He joined the church choir when he was eight."
                },
                {
                    "text": "to conduct/lead/direct a choir"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a male voice choir"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The children's choir will perform some Christmas songs."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The choir regularly sings/sing at weddings."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She sings in the church choir."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a massed choir of local schoolchildren"
                },
                {
                    "text": "two of the girls in the choir"
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Music"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["massed", "50-strong", "etc."],
                "verb + choir": ["be in", "sing in", "join"],
                "choir + verb": ["perform", "sing"],
                "choir + noun": ["practice", "director", "member"],
                "preposition": ["in a/​the choir"],
                "phrases": ["be preaching to the choir"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "the part of a church where the choir sits during services",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Buildings"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to speak to people in support of views that they already hold",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "I realize I may be preaching to the choir, but I think he's gorgeous."
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkwaɪə(r)/",
                "audio": "ch/choir/choir__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈkwaɪər/",
                "audio": "ch/choir/choir__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English quer, quere, from Old French quer, from Latin chorus (denoting a character speaking the prologue of a play), from Greek khoros. The spelling change in the 17th cent. was due to association with Latin chorus and modern French choeur."
}