commander in chief

American  

noun

• commanders in chief
  plural

1. Also Commander in Chief the supreme commander of the armed forces of a nation or, sometimes, of several allied nations.

   The president is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force.

2. an officer in command of a particular portion of an armed force who has been given this title by specific authorization.

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commander in chief British  

noun

1. the officer holding supreme command of the forces in an area or operation

2. the officer holding command of a major subdivision of one military service

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commander in chief Cultural  

1. The role of the United States president as highest ranking officer in the armed forces. The Constitution provides this power, but, through the system of checks and balances, gives Congress the authority to declare war. During periods of war, presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, George H. W. Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George W. Bush have taken active roles as commander in chief.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• commanders in chief
  plural

Etymology

Origin of commander in chief

First recorded in 1635–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

commander in chief

Myanmar’s president is Min Aung Hlaing, who until recently was commander in chief of the military.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

Under the Constitution and the Presidential Succession Act, if a president dies in office, the vice president immediately becomes president and commander in chief.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

Mike Makowsky’s dramatic miniseries “Death by Lightning” faithfully preserves the stirring rhetoric of the man who would become America’s 20th commander in chief.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

The city owes more than its name to the first commander in chief; George Washington encouraged the French developer Pierre Charles L’Enfant to design a capital that would symbolize the nation.

From Slate ● May 18, 2026

Despite his pain, he was trying to stand up and salute the wife of his commander in chief.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama