chief

American  

[cheef] / tʃif /

noun

• chiefs
  plural

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.

Synonym Usage

See capital ¹.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• chiefs
  plural

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

Explanation

A chief is a leader, often of a tribe or clan. Sometimes we call the president our "commander in chief." A chief is the head honcho, the big cheese, the top dog. Tribes are lead by chiefs, but so are firefighters (fire chief), policeman (police chief), and companies (Chief Executive Officer or CEO). When used as an adjective, chief describes the most important element or main ingredient of something. You couldn't make mac and cheese without the chief ingredients: macaroni and cheese.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chief chiefs

Compared with other companies, they are still more likely to grow through higher rates, said Dan Russo, chief investment officer at Potomac Fund Management.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Karen Dee, chief executive of Airports UK, the trade body for the country's airports, said the move was "excellent news for the passenger".

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

"That one took some groundwork," Mistral's chief executive Arthur Mensch posted on X.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

“Today is a historic day, not just for Skydance but for our entire industry,” Ellison, the company’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

She planned to keep Militsa as her chief of staff there, and her deputy commander would be Yevgeniya “Zhenya” Timofeyeva.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Mr. Netanyahu entered the situation room to receive a briefing from the military chiefs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Under film chiefs Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca, Warner Bros. developed a reputation for auteur-driven, original stories, particularly after the success of the 2025 slate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Fire hydrants in the UK often do not provide enough water flow for firefighting, fire chiefs have warned.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

The plans to rebuild the main port in the tourism hub of Koror have also sparked anxiety among traditional chiefs, scientists and tour operators.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

They were both division chiefs at the Institute.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Related Words

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