commander in chief

American  

noun

commanders in chief plural

1. Also Commander in Chief the supreme commander of the armed forces of a nation or, sometimes, of several allied nations.

   The president is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force.

2. an officer in command of a particular portion of an armed force who has been given this title by specific authorization.

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commander in chief British  

noun

1. the officer holding supreme command of the forces in an area or operation

2. the officer holding command of a major subdivision of one military service

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commander in chief Cultural  

1. The role of the United States president as highest ranking officer in the armed forces. The Constitution provides this power, but, through the system of checks and balances, gives Congress the authority to declare war. During periods of war, presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, George H. W. Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George W. Bush have taken active roles as commander in chief.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• commanders in chief
  plural

Etymology

Origin of commander in chief

First recorded in 1635–45

Example Sentences

Across the front, on a white ribbon, she wore, to the amusement of everyone, these letters: "COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF!"

From The Girl Scouts' Good Turn by Lavell, Edith

I have touched upon Commanding Officers, Brigadiers, Divisional, Corps, even Army Commanders; I have gone so far as to mention the COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF once and I have mentioned myself very many times.

From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, October 10, 1917 by Various