chain of command

noun

1. a series of administrative or military ranks, positions, etc., in which each has direct authority over the one immediately below.

Word History and Origins

Origin of chain of command¹

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

Smith also called out what he saw as “problematic bias” in the way what occurred at the Tujunga protest was reported up the chain of command.

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Ms. Tisch overruled a civilian advisory board by forgoing discipline, but Mr. Mamdani would give the board the last say and neuter the chain of command.

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That perception has begun to evolve, beginning with Shapiro’s new chain of command that goes straight to Rogers and Staffieri.

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The militant group still has around 15,000 armed operatives in Gaza, and its chain of command is largely intact, the senior military official said.

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Under this analysis, “every officer in the chain of command who… directed downward the initial order from the President or Secretary of Defense” would likely fall within the meaning of traditional accomplice liability, and could be charged for murder under Article 118.

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Related Words

• bureaucracy 
• hierarchy 
• network 
• structure