noun plural but singular in construction
1. : a game in which players march to music in single file around a row of chairs numbering one less than the players and scramble for seats when the music stops, one player and one chair being eliminated each time until one of the last two marchers claims the only remaining seat — called also going to Jerusalem
2. : manipulating resources or maneuvering for advantage
it was the game of musical chairs in Washington last month as … aviation leaders all moved up a notch — Aero Digest
motorists played musical chairs while parking lot owners did a land-office business — Springfield (Massachusetts) Union