Adjacent Words

chamber of commerce definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: an association of businessmen to protect and promote business interests

Merriam Webster's

Date: 1723 an association of businesspeople to promote commercial and industrial interests in the community

Britannica Concise

Any of various voluntary organizations of business firms, public officials, professional people, and public-spirited citizens whose primary interest is in publicizing, promoting, and developing commercial and industrial opportunities in their local area, and usually also community schools, streets, housing, and public works. The International Chamber of Commerce (founded 1920) acts as the voice of the business community in the international field and runs a court of arbitration for settling commercial disputes. National chambers of commerce exist in most industrialized, free-enterprise countries. The first to use the name was founded in Paris in 1601; the first U.S. chamber of commerce was that of the state of New York, founded in 1768.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

2. pl. Apartments in a lodging house. ``A bachelor's life in chambers.'' --Thackeray. 3. A hall, as where a king gives audience, or a deliberative body or assembly meets; as, presence chamber; senate chamber. 4. A legislative or judicial body; an assembly; a society or association; as, the Chamber of Deputies; the Chamber of Commerce. 5. A compartment or cell; an inclosed space or cavity; as, the chamber of a canal lock; the chamber of a furnace; the chamber of the eye. 6. pl. (Law.) A room or rooms where a lawyer transacts business; a room or rooms where a judge transacts such official business as may be done out of court. 7. A chamber pot. [Colloq.] 8. (Mil.) (a) That part of the bore of a piece of ordnance which holds the charge, esp. when of different diameter from the rest of the bore; -- formerly, in guns, made smaller than the bore, but now larger, esp. in breech-loading guns. (b) A cavity in a mine, usually of a cubical form, to contain the powder. (c) A short piece of ordnance or cannon, which stood on its breech, without any carriage, formerly used chiefly for rejoicings and theatrical cannonades. Air chamber. See Air chamber, in the Vocabulary. Chamber of commerce, a board or association to protect the interests of commerce, chosen from among the merchants and traders of a city. Chamber council, a secret council. --Shak. Chamber counsel or counselor, a counselor who gives his opinion in private, or at his chambers, but does not advocate causes in court. Chamber fellow, a chamber companion; a roommate; a chum. Chamber hangings, tapestry or hangings for a chamber. Chamber lye, urine. --Shak. Chamber music, vocal or instrumental music adapted to performance in a chamber or small apartment or audience room, instead of a theater, concert hall, or church. Chamber practice (Law.), the practice of counselors at law, who give their opinions in private, but do not appear in court. To sit at chambers, to do business in chambers, as a judge.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Commerce Com"merce, n. Note: (Formerly accented on the second syllable.) [F. commerce, L. commercium; com- + merx, mercis, merchandise. See Merchant.] 1. The exchange or buying and selling of commodities; esp. the exchange of merchandise, on a large scale, between different places or communities; extended trade or traffic. The public becomes powerful in proportion to the opulence and extensive commerce of private men. --Hume. 2. Social intercourse; the dealings of one person or class in society with another; familiarity. Fifteen years of thought, observation, and commerce with the world had made him [Bunyan] wiser. --Macaulay. 3. Sexual intercourse. --W. Montagu. 4. A round game at cards, in which the cards are subject to exchange, barter, or trade. --Hoyle. Chamber of commerce. See Chamber. Syn: Trade; traffic; dealings; intercourse; interchange; communion; communication.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(chambers of commerce) A chamber of commerce is an organization of businessmen that promotes local commercial interests. (BUSINESS) N-COUNT

Moby Thesaurus

Aktiengesellschaft, aktiebolag, body corporate, business, business establishment, cartel, combine, commercial enterprise, compagnie, company, concern, conglomerate, conglomerate corporation, consolidating company, consortium, copartnership, corporate body, corporation, diversified corporation, enterprise, firm, holding company, house, industry, joint-stock association, joint-stock company, operating company, partnership, plunderbund, pool, public utility, stock company, syndicate, trade association, trust, utility