chef

[ shef ]
See synonyms for chef on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the chief cook, especially in a restaurant or hotel, usually responsible for planning menus, ordering foodstuffs, overseeing food preparation, and supervising the kitchen staff.

  2. any cook.

Origin of chef

1
From French, dating back to 1835–45; see origin at chief

Words that may be confused with chef

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use chef in a sentence

  • He had the most high-priced chef in the world, with six chefs under him, two of whom made a specialty of American dishes.

    Through the Wall | Cleveland Moffett
  • When they are at school I tell them they must wear hats every day; but in holidays they will put on couvre-chefs.

    Amy in Acadia | Helen Leah Reed
  • You 're not the first who had to leave his home for the conscription, and some have gone back chefs-d' escadron, afterwards.

    Sir Jasper Carew | Charles James Lever
  • Elle tient son rang parmi les chefs-d'œuvre de la Renaissance.

    Walks in Rome | Augustus J.C. Hare
  • He knew more about cooking than all the chefs in Europe and taught my poisoner to make rations taste like food.

British Dictionary definitions for chef

chef

/ (ʃɛf) /


noun
  1. a cook, esp the principal cook in a restaurant

Origin of chef

1
C19: from French, from Old French chief head, chief

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012