chieftain
Americannoun
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the chief of a clan or a tribe.
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a leader of a group, band, etc..
the robbers' chieftain.
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Military. Chieftain, Britain's main battle tank since 1969, fitted with a 120 mm gun and two machine guns and weighing 55 tons (50 metric tons).
noun
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the head or leader of a tribe or clan
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the chief of a group of people
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chieftain
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English cheftayne, variant of chevetaine, from Old French, from Late Latin capitāneus “chief”; see captain
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.
My husband had bought this old Pontiac Chieftain, as a surprise for me.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025
"I tried using the time constructively," Mr Devonport, who served as a Chieftain gunner in the First Royal Tank Regiment, said.
From BBC • Nov. 2, 2024
Opie got her Chieftain chair in exchange for one of her photographs.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2024
Patton denied any wrongdoing in an interview with The Pueblo Chieftain in November.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 29, 2022
The Chieftain made lavish atonement, As far as the world could atone her; But her heart was impossible healing.
From Montezuma An Epic on the Origin and Fate of the Aztec Nation by Richmond, Hiram Hoyt
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.
