chief

American  

[cheef] / tʃif /

noun

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.

Related Words

See capital ¹.

Other Word Forms

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

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

Example Sentences

The decline in factory activity shown Saturday was the result of "weak domestic demand", Zhiwei Zhang, president and chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management, wrote in a note.

From Barron's

The army chief later accused the US of helping Wine escape and said that all military co-operation between the two countries would be suspended.

From BBC

“We expect a continued rotation as non-technology sectors experience growth thanks to higher profit margins through AI adoption and greater operating efficiencies,” said Richard Saperstein, chief investment officer at investment group Treasury Partners.

From Barron's

Christopher Suh, chief financial officer, at Visa, said holiday spending was slightly better than the prior year across the world, and in line with 2024 in the U.S. specifically.

From Barron's

Schiltz had ordered ICE chief Todd Lyons to appear in court Friday and threatened to hold him in contempt unless the Ecuadorean was freed.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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