chancellor

American  

[chan-suh-ler, -sler, chahn-] / ˈtʃæn sə lər, -slər, ˈtʃɑn- /

noun

• chancellors
  plural

1. the chief minister of state in certain parliamentary governments, as in Germany; prime minister; premier.

2. the chief administrative officer in certain American universities.

3. a secretary, as to a king or noble or of an embassy.

4. the priest in charge of a Roman Catholic chancery.

5. the title of various important judges and other high officials.

6. (in some states of the U.S.) the judge of a court of equity or chancery.

7. British. the honorary, nonresident, titular head of a university.

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chancellor British  

/ ˈtʃɑːnsələ, -slə /

noun

1. the head of the government in several European countries

2. the president of a university or, in some colleges, the chief administrative officer

3. the honorary head of a university Compare vice chancellor

4. (in some states) the presiding judge of a court of chancery or equity

5. the chief secretary of an embassy

6. Christianity a clergyman acting as the law officer of a bishop

7. archaic the chief secretary of a prince, nobleman, etc

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• chancellorship
  noun
• underchancellor
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chancellors
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of chancellor

before 1100; Middle English chanceler < Anglo-French < Late Latin cancellārius doorkeeper, literally, man at the barrier ( see chancel, -er ²); replacing Middle English canceler, Old English ≪ Late Latin, as above

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Explanation

Use the noun chancellor to describe the president of your college, or the head of the German government. The word chancellor is often capitalized, depending on whom it's being used to describe. Many governments use the term to describe people with varying amounts of power, from the head of state to judges and financial officials. The head of a university is frequently called a chancellor too. The Latin root is cancellarius, an usher or guard in a court of law.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chancellor chancellors

Weirich expected a “better future” after Hitler became chancellor in 1933.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

There are a number of ways the chancellor could extract more money from the sector.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

She advised the Irish politician Thomas Spring Rice, later the British chancellor of the exchequer, on relief for and education of the poor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

"Jewish people must be able to live without fear throughout Germany," the chancellor said in the statement marking the anniversary of the Hamas attacks in 2023 that set off the Gaza war.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

A year earlier, the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, had announced that eight German nuclear power plants would close.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Past chancellors worked hard to keep allies on board.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

And the recent rapid turnover of prime ministers and chancellors shows, even thinking a few years ahead might feel like a luxury.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Commissioner Brett Yormark hastily scheduled a meeting with the league’s athletic directors, presidents and chancellors later this week to discuss the outcome.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

Over five years at the OBR Richard Hughes faced five chancellors, and his relationship with all of them was designed to help promote UK economic stability.

From BBC ● Dec. 1, 2025

The chief official of the court is called a chancellor, the others vice chancellors.

From Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman by Albert Sidney Bolles

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Related Words

• administrator
• agent
• bureaucrat
• civil servant
• commissioner
• director
• executive
• leader
• manager
• minister
• officer
• representative
• secretary

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