"empty chair" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "empty chairs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "empty chair (plural empty chairs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Psychotherapy",
          "orig": "en:Psychotherapy",
          "parents": [
            "Psychology",
            "Social sciences",
            "Sciences",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "38 6 15 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A chair which is used to personify the client's object of conflict"
      ],
      "id": "en-empty_chair-en-noun-x6ss~Yis",
      "links": [
        [
          "psychotherapy",
          "psychotherapy"
        ],
        [
          "chair",
          "chair"
        ],
        [
          "client",
          "client"
        ],
        [
          "conflict",
          "conflict"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "psychotherapy",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(psychotherapy) A chair which is used to personify the client's object of conflict"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2016, Jon Kelly, “Inside the Trump-less Fox News Debate: V.F. Contributors Offer Analysis in Real-Time”, in Vanity Fair",
          "text": "\"Megyn Kelly and The Donald's empty chair made Thursday’s debate the most absurd moment of the election cycle—and that's really saying something!\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A podium or chair left empty to highlight the absence of someone from a debate."
      ],
      "id": "en-empty_chair-en-noun-XrclzBcs"
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "38 6 15 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A position held by someone who is absent or otherwise ineffectual."
      ],
      "id": "en-empty_chair-en-noun-pZT7O2ek"
    }
  ],
  "word": "empty chair"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "empty chairs",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "empty chairing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "empty chaired",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "empty chaired",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "empty chair (third-person singular simple present empty chairs, present participle empty chairing, simple past and past participle empty chaired)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "38 6 15 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2015, John Plunkett, TV debates: broadcasters will 'empty chair' leaders who refuse to take part The Guardian",
          "text": "\"The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky have said they will “empty chair” any party leaders who refuse to take part in their revised proposals for TV election debates.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017, May Bullman, “TV broadcasters considering 'empty chair' for Theresa May after she refuses to take part in leaders' debate”, in The Independent",
          "text": "\"When later asked if Ms May would be “empty chaired”, a spokesperson also refused to rule out the possibility, saying the full plans would be announced in early May.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To draw attention to (a person who is absent from a debate) by providing an empty podium or chair which they would have occupied."
      ],
      "id": "en-empty_chair-en-verb-TzmR0t3f",
      "qualifier": "debating",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, debating) To draw attention to (a person who is absent from a debate) by providing an empty podium or chair which they would have occupied."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "empty chair"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "empty chairs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "empty chair (plural empty chairs)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Psychotherapy"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A chair which is used to personify the client's object of conflict"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "psychotherapy",
          "psychotherapy"
        ],
        [
          "chair",
          "chair"
        ],
        [
          "client",
          "client"
        ],
        [
          "conflict",
          "conflict"
        ]
      ],
      "qualifier": "psychotherapy",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(psychotherapy) A chair which is used to personify the client's object of conflict"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2016, Jon Kelly, “Inside the Trump-less Fox News Debate: V.F. Contributors Offer Analysis in Real-Time”, in Vanity Fair",
          "text": "\"Megyn Kelly and The Donald's empty chair made Thursday’s debate the most absurd moment of the election cycle—and that's really saying something!\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A podium or chair left empty to highlight the absence of someone from a debate."
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A position held by someone who is absent or otherwise ineffectual."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "empty chair"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "empty chairs",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "empty chairing",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "empty chaired",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "empty chaired",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "empty chair (third-person singular simple present empty chairs, present participle empty chairing, simple past and past participle empty chaired)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English transitive verbs",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2015, John Plunkett, TV debates: broadcasters will 'empty chair' leaders who refuse to take part The Guardian",
          "text": "\"The BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Sky have said they will “empty chair” any party leaders who refuse to take part in their revised proposals for TV election debates.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017, May Bullman, “TV broadcasters considering 'empty chair' for Theresa May after she refuses to take part in leaders' debate”, in The Independent",
          "text": "\"When later asked if Ms May would be “empty chaired”, a spokesperson also refused to rule out the possibility, saying the full plans would be announced in early May.\"",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To draw attention to (a person who is absent from a debate) by providing an empty podium or chair which they would have occupied."
      ],
      "qualifier": "debating",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(transitive, debating) To draw attention to (a person who is absent from a debate) by providing an empty podium or chair which they would have occupied."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "empty chair"
}