musical chairs
noun
plural in form but singular in construction
: a game in which players march to music around a row of chairs numbering one less than the players and scramble for seats when the music stops
also
: a situation or series of events suggesting the game of musical chairs (as in rapid change or confusing activity)
Examples of musical chairs in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Orlando Bravo, cofounder and managing partner of $184 billion (assets) Thoma Bravo, has cautioned that in this financial game of musical chairs, retail investors who are late to the party might get saddled with continuation funds with underperforming, hard-to-sell assets.
—
Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
One person is seated in the middle making claims, and the people they are surrounded by have the opportunity to sprint to a seat to debate them in what feels like a politicized version of musical chairs.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 July 2025
The confirmation hearing comes after a musical chairs of sorts in the Trump administration; Trump nominated Waltz to serve as U.N. ambassador in May, relieving him of his duties of national security adviser following the Signal controversy.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 14 July 2025
So this is something like playing musical chairs while dancing a do-si-do.
—Kansas City Star, 11 July 2025
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Hank Tucker, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025
One person is seated in the middle making claims, and the people they are surrounded by have the opportunity to sprint to a seat to debate them in what feels like a politicized version of musical chairs.
—Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 22 July 2025
The confirmation hearing comes after a musical chairs of sorts in the Trump administration; Trump nominated Waltz to serve as U.N. ambassador in May, relieving him of his duties of national security adviser following the Signal controversy.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 14 July 2025
So this is something like playing musical chairs while dancing a do-si-do.
—Kansas City Star, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for musical chairs
Cite this Entry
“Musical chairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/musical%20chairs. Accessed 7 Aug. 2025.
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