chancellor
Americannoun
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chancellors
plural
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the chief minister of state in certain parliamentary governments, as in Germany; prime minister; premier.
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the chief administrative officer in certain American universities.
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a secretary, as to a king or noble or of an embassy.
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the priest in charge of a Roman Catholic chancery.
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the title of various important judges and other high officials.
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(in some states of the U.S.) the judge of a court of equity or chancery.
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British. the honorary, nonresident, titular head of a university.
noun
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the head of the government in several European countries
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the president of a university or, in some colleges, the chief administrative officer
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the honorary head of a university Compare vice chancellor
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(in some states) the presiding judge of a court of chancery or equity
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the chief secretary of an embassy
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Christianity a clergyman acting as the law officer of a bishop
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archaic the chief secretary of a prince, nobleman, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing chancellor
Name That Job: Occupational Last Names
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Western Europe - Introductory
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Western Europe - Middle School and High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Thorsten Frei, leader of the centre-right parliamentary group, called for calm and noted that the chancellor was elected for a four-year term.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
Robert Jenrick, Reform's economic spokesman, will tell the party conference in Birmingham he will introduce the tax cut within the first 100 days of becoming chancellor.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
In its letter to developers, the district did not say how the chancellor came to his decision, but said he determined CTI’s proposal was “the most advantageous to the District.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
Europe’s largest economy has hardly grown since 2019, its industry is shrinking and Merz has become the country’s least popular chancellor in living memory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
His target was the West German chancellor himself, Konrad Adenauer.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Five of UC’s nine undergraduate campuses also have new chancellors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Pencilling in perhaps unrealistic future spending plans is a ploy many chancellors have used to make numbers add up.
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
In a meeting with Big Ten presidents and chancellors at the time, Daniels suggested they agree to share a portion of their anticipated TV spoils with academics, he recalled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
CSU’s chancellor, vice chancellors and university presidents will also receive enhanced retirement benefits and housing stipends for campus presidents will be increased.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2025
The truth is, that what marks him from other chancellors is exactly the dominating hold gained by the social question in all its depth and breadth upon his most susceptible imagination.
From The Life of William Ewart Gladstone (Vol 2 of 3) by John Morley
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
