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. 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.

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. primarily; especially

adjective

1. (prenominal)

   1. most important; principal

   2. highest in rank or authority

adverb

1. archaic,  principally

Sensitive Note

See powwow.

Other Word Forms

• chiefless adjective
• chiefship noun
• subchief noun
• underchief 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

Mr. Zecca is executive vice president and global chief legal, risk and regulatory officer of Nasdaq.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“I think it’s going to be a soft holiday season,” said David Kelly, chief global strategist at J.P.

Read more on MarketWatch

Or as Ken Mahoney, the chief executive of Mahoney Asset Management, put it in emailed comments, markets are now facing a “perfect storm.”

Read more on MarketWatch

It described Ali Tabtai, Hezbollah's chief of staff, as a veteran of the group who had held a series of senior positions.

Read more on BBC

“By the time the first guests are on they’ll never know it was brown,” said Michael Scheiner, Celebrity’s chief marketing and product officer.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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