Chair vs. Stool — What's the Difference?

A piece of furniture for sitting, typically with a back and four legs.

A backless and armless single seat supported on legs or a pedestal.

The person in charge of a meeting or organization.

A low bench or support for the feet or knees in sitting or kneeling, as a footrest.

One of the basic pieces of furniture, a chair is a type of seat. Its primary features are two pieces of a durable material, attached as back and seat to one another at a 90° or slightly greater angle, with usually the four corners of the horizontal seat attached in turn to four legs—or other parts of the seat's underside attached to three legs or to a shaft about which a four-arm turnstile on rollers can turn—strong enough to support the weight of a person who sits on the seat (usually wide and broad enough to hold the lower body from the buttocks almost to the knees) and leans against the vertical back (usually high and wide enough to support the back to the shoulder blades).

A toilet seat; a commode.

A piece of furniture designed to accommodate one sitting or reclining person, providing support for the back and often the arms and typically standing on four legs.

Evacuated fecal matter.

A seat of office, authority, or dignity, such as that of a bishop.

A stump or rootstock that produces shoots or suckers.

An office or position of authority, such as a professorship.

A shoot or growth from such a stump or rootstock.

A person who holds an office or a position of authority, such as one who presides over a meeting or administers a department of instruction at a college; a chairperson.

(Botany) To send up shoots or suckers.

The position of a player in an orchestra.

To evacuate the bowels; defecate.

(Slang) The electric chair.

(Slang) To act as a stool pigeon.

A seat carried about on poles; a sedan chair.

A seat, especially for one person and without armrests.

Any of several devices that serve to support or secure, such as a metal block that supports and holds railroad track in position.

A seat for one person without a back or armrests.

To preside over as chairperson

A footstool.

To install (someone) in a position of authority, especially as a presiding officer.

A seat with a back; a chair.

To carry (someone) high off the ground in a chair or in a seated position, especially as a tribute.

A throne.

An item of furniture used to sit on or in, comprising a seat, legs or wheels, back, and sometimes arm rests, for use by one person. Compare stool, couch, sofa, settee, loveseat and bench.

(obsolete) A close-stool; a seat used for urination and defecation: a chamber pot, commode, outhouse seat, or toilet.

Senseid|en|chairperson}}(often with definite article, also written Chair) {{clipping of chairperson

(horticulture) A plant that has been cut down until its main stem is close to the ground, resembling a stool, to promote new growth.

(music) The seating position of a particular musician in an orchestra.

Feces, excrement.

(rail transport) An iron block used on railways to support the rails and secure them to the sleepers, and similar devices.

A production of feces or excrement, an act of defecation, stooling.

(chemistry) One of two possible conformers of cyclohexane rings (the other being boat), shaped roughly like a chair.

(archaic) A decoy; a portable piece of wood to which a pigeon is fastened to lure wild birds.

Ellipsis of electric chair

(nautical) A small channel on the side of a vessel, for the deadeyes of the backstays.

(education) A distinguished professorship at a university.

Material, such as oyster shells, spread on the sea bottom for oyster spat to adhere to.

A vehicle for one person; either a sedan borne upon poles, or a two-wheeled carriage drawn by one horse; a gig.

A plant from which layers are propagated by bending its branches into the soil.

The seat or office of a person in authority, such as a judge or bishop.

To produce stool: to defecate.

(transitive) To act as chairperson at; to preside over.

(horticulture) To cut down (a plant) until its main stem is close to the ground, resembling a stool, to promote new growth.

(transitive) To carry in a seated position upon one's shoulders, especially in celebration or victory.

(agriculture) To ramify; to tiller, as grain; to shoot out suckers.

To award a chair to (a winning poet) at a Welsh eisteddfod.

A plant from which layers are propagated by bending its branches into the soil.

A movable single seat with a back.

A single seat with three or four legs and without a back, made in various forms for various uses.

An official seat, as of a chief magistrate or a judge, but esp. that of a professor; hence, the office itself.

A seat used in evacuating the bowels; hence, an evacuation; a discharge from the bowels.

The presiding officer of an assembly; a chairman; as, to address the chair.

A stool pigeon, or decoy bird.

A vehicle for one person; either a sedan borne upon poles, or two-wheeled carriage, drawn by one horse; a gig.

A small channel on the side of a vessel, for the dead-eyes of the backstays.

An iron block used on railways to support the rails and secure them to the sleepers.

A bishop's seat or see; a bishop-stool.

To place in a chair.

A bench or form for resting the feet or the knees; a footstool; as, a kneeling stool.

To carry publicly in a chair in triumph.

Material, such as oyster shells, spread on the sea bottom for oyster spat to adhere to.

To function as chairperson of (a meeting, committee, etc.); as, he chaired the meeting.

To ramfy; to tiller, as grain; to shoot out suckers.

A seat for one person, with a support for the back;

A simple seat without a back or arms

The position of professor;

Solid excretory product evacuated from the bowels

The officer who presides at the meetings of an organization;

(forestry) the stump of a tree that has been felled or headed for the production of saplings

An instrument of execution by electrocution; resembles a chair;

A plumbing fixture for defecation and urination

Act or preside as chair, as of an academic department in a university;

Lure with a stool, as of wild fowl

Preside over;

React to a decoy, of wildfowl

A position of authority or command.

Grow shoots in the form of stools or tillers

To preside over a meeting or discussion.

Have a bowel movement;

A unit of measurement for quantifying the level of difficulty of ski trails.

A seat without a back or arms, often on three or four legs.

A piece of fecal matter.

A rootstock of a plant.

A stand for supporting a seated artist's canvas.

A bishop’s seat in early Christian churches.

Yes, stools can have cushioned seats, despite their typically simplistic design.

A chair is a seat with a back, and often with armrests, designed for one person.

A stool is a seat without a back or armrests and is typically simplistic in design.

No, chairs can have various designs, including those with more or fewer than four legs.

Some stools have backs, but traditionally and typically, stools are backless.

Not necessarily, comfort can depend on design, usage time, and personal preference.

Yes, chairs, especially those designed for outdoor use, can be utilized for outdoor events.

Stools may be less comfortable for long periods due to the lack of back support.

Ergonomic chairs are designed to support posture and comfort during prolonged sitting.

Stools are usually associated with informal settings, but can be used formally, depending on design and context.

Stools can be used for dining and are often found in casual dining settings and bars.

Yes, chairs can symbolize authority, such as in the context of being a "chairperson."

Yes, "chair" can refer to a leadership position, such as chairing a committee.

Yes, stools are commonly used in medical settings for their simplicity and easy maneuverability.

Yes, many chairs, like dining chairs, are designed without armrests for aesthetic and practical reasons.