chief

[ cheef ]

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. Chief, U.S. Army. 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.

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.

chief

/ 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. in chief
   primarily; especially

adjective

1. prenominal
   1. most important; principal
   2. highest in rank or authority

adverb

1. archaic.
   principally

Sensitive Note

See powwow.

Other Words From

• chief·less adjective
• chief·ship noun
• sub·chief noun
• un·der·chief noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of chief¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of chief¹

C13: from Old French, from Latin caput head

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Synonym Study

See capital ¹.

Example Sentences

A 26-year-old man has been charged with murder and multiple other counts in the New York shooting death of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive.

From Los Angeles Times

Sheila Nix, Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign chief of staff, used it on Thursday as each campaign outlined over dinner what had been its main strategy, saying Ms. Harris “ran a pretty flawless campaign.”

From Salon

During his police interview, Medlock said he had chosen the firm and its immigration chief as targets after they had been named in a Daily Mail article three days earlier.

From BBC

Authorities found him while making the attempt in his detention centre on Tuesday night, Shin Yong-hae, the justice ministry's correctional agency chief, told lawmakers.

From BBC

Mr Thompson was named chief executive of the company, which is the largest private insurer in the US, in April 2021.

From BBC

Related Words

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