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)
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Throughout its 21 seasons on the air, The Voice has become a game of musical chairs ... literally. 
Ew Staff, EW.com, 17 Sep. 2022 As people began competing for fewer and fewer apartments, the affordable housing market turned into a game of musical chairs played by low-income Americans. New York Times, 14 June 2022 Georgia experienced another round of political musical chairs on Monday, with Vernon Jones announcing his withdrawal from the gubernatorial race. Rick Klein, ABC News, 8 Feb. 2022 Dunk tank, musical chairs, hide and seek followed by a very riveting final game of pin the tail on the donkey. Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2021 No more playing musical chairs around the bonfire, trying to stay upwind. Mackenzie Chung Fegan, Bon Appétit, 13 July 2022 Mike Walsh, a Riverside County housing official whose job includes planning for how best to use the $30 million grant, said that relocating Oasis residents was a complicated game of musical chairs. New York Times, 31 July 2022 Later, after Anne plays a desperate game of musical chairs to avoid sitting next to him at dinner, Louisa plops down beside Wentworth, an excellent position from which to flirt. Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 16 July 2022 From Kevin Baxter: Think of the CONCACAF W Championship as a game of musical chairs. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2022 See More
Ew Staff, EW.com, 17 Sep. 2022 As people began competing for fewer and fewer apartments, the affordable housing market turned into a game of musical chairs played by low-income Americans. New York Times, 14 June 2022 Georgia experienced another round of political musical chairs on Monday, with Vernon Jones announcing his withdrawal from the gubernatorial race. Rick Klein, ABC News, 8 Feb. 2022 Dunk tank, musical chairs, hide and seek followed by a very riveting final game of pin the tail on the donkey. Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2021 No more playing musical chairs around the bonfire, trying to stay upwind. Mackenzie Chung Fegan, Bon Appétit, 13 July 2022 Mike Walsh, a Riverside County housing official whose job includes planning for how best to use the $30 million grant, said that relocating Oasis residents was a complicated game of musical chairs. New York Times, 31 July 2022 Later, after Anne plays a desperate game of musical chairs to avoid sitting next to him at dinner, Louisa plops down beside Wentworth, an excellent position from which to flirt. Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 16 July 2022 From Kevin Baxter: Think of the CONCACAF W Championship as a game of musical chairs. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1877, in the meaning defined above