chief

American  

[cheef] / tʃif /

noun

• chiefs
  plural

1. the head or leader of an organized body of people; the person highest in authority.

   the chief of police.

2. the head or ruler of a tribe or clan.

   an Indian chief.

3. U.S. Army. Chief, a title of some advisers to the Chief of Staff, who do not, in most instances, command the troop units of their arms or services.

   Chief of Engineers;

   Chief Signal Officer.

4. Informal: Sometimes Offensive. boss or leader.

   We'll have to talk to the chief about this.

5. Heraldry.

   1. the upper area of an escutcheon.

   2. an ordinary occupying this area.

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adjective

1. highest in rank or authority.

   the chief priest;

   the chief administrator.

   Antonyms:

   subordinate

2. most important; principal.

   his chief merit;

   the chief difficulty.

   Synonyms:

   paramount, prime, leading, foremost, cardinal

adverb

1. Archaic. chiefly; principally.

idioms

1. in chief,

   1. in the chief position; highest in rank (used in combination).

      editor in chief; commander in chief.

   2. Heraldry. in the upper part of an escutcheon.

chief British  

/ tʃiːf /

noun

1. the head, leader, or most important individual in a group or body of people

2. another word for chieftain

3. heraldry the upper third of a shield

4. primarily; especially

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adjective

1. (prenominal)

   1. most important; principal

   2. highest in rank or authority

adverb

1. archaic principally

Sensitive Note

See powwow.

Synonym Usage

See capital ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• chiefship
  noun
• subchief
  noun
• underchief
  noun
• chiefless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chiefs
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chief

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French chief, chef, Old French chef, from unattested Vulgar Latin capum, re-formation of Latin caput head

Explanation

A chief is a leader, often of a tribe or clan. Sometimes we call the president our "commander in chief." A chief is the head honcho, the big cheese, the top dog. Tribes are lead by chiefs, but so are firefighters (fire chief), policeman (police chief), and companies (Chief Executive Officer or CEO). When used as an adjective, chief describes the most important element or main ingredient of something. You couldn't make mac and cheese without the chief ingredients: macaroni and cheese.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chief chiefs

In an interview published on 4 October, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said the benefits of AI justify accepting some of its risks and argued that the technology should remain accessible to the public.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

When money feels tight, many people often cut back on extras such as casual meals out or streaming subscriptions, said Mark Mathews, chief economist at the National Retail Foundation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Indigenous chief Bepdjo Mekragnotire, 45, of the Bau village in the Amazon, told AFP ahead of the vote: "We stand with Lula, all of us."

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

Lauren Truslow is chief executive of 3D Enviro, a Virginia company that does hazardous materials abatement with a handful of workers affected by the TPS expiration for El Salvador.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Mr. Crabtree wanted to postpone Fire Prevention Day but the fire chief said he couldn’t do that.

From "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson

Under film chiefs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca, Warner Bros. developed a reputation for auteur-driven, original stories, particularly after the success of the 2025 slate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Hospital chiefs in County Durham have agreed to review up to a further 4,500 breast cancer cases after failings including delayed diagnoses and unnecessary surgeries were found.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

The plans to rebuild the main port in the tourism hub of Koror have also sparked anxiety among traditional chiefs, scientists and tour operators.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

It’s drawn plenty of flak over the years, and even previous Fed chiefs, including Warsh’s predecessor, Jerome Powell, have told investors to take the chart with a grain of salt.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026

Hoarfrost Hill and Rimegate still lacked garrisons, so Jon had asked their views on which of the remaining wildling chiefs and war lords might be best suited to hold them.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• captain
• commander
• director
• head
• leader
• manager
• ruler
• superintendent
• supervisor