commander in chief

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noun, plural commanders in chief.

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.

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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Origin of commander in chief

First recorded in 1635–45

Words nearby commander in chief

command car, command-driven, command economy, commandeer, commander, commander in chief, commandery, command guidance, commanding, commanding officer, command language

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use commander in chief in a sentence

“Having been a legislator and a mayor, I particularly enjoy being a chief executive,” he said.
The Golden State Preps for the ‘Red Wedding’ of Senate Races|David Freedlander|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This is a blow against freedom of speech, we were told, by the likes of Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson.
Politicians Only Love Journalists When They're Dead|Luke O’Neil|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“You can imagine the sound of that gun on a Bronx street,” Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce says.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Take the chief metric of the war in Vietnam—body counts, which ultimately did not answer whether the strategy was working.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War|Nancy A. Youssef|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Qasem Suleimani was appointed as commander of the force in 1997.
What an Iranian Funeral Tells Us About the Wars in Iraq|IranWire|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She is skilful in seizing salient characteristics, and her chief aim is to preserve the individuality of her sitters and models.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
More soldiers crowded into the cave and Professor-Commander Krafft came in behind them.
Sense of Obligation|Henry Maxwell Dempsey (AKA Harry Harrison)
M'Bongo, the great chief of this neighbourhood, paid a ceremonial visit to my husband.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
But,” said the prime minister of Flatland, starting a difficulty, “who is to be greatest chief?
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
But it was not only as an organiser and transmitter of orders that Berthier proved his usefulness to his chief.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison

British Dictionary definitions for commander in chief

commander in chief

noun plural commanders in chief

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

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for commander in chief

commander in chief

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.

commander in chief

Origin of commander in chief

Words nearby commander in chief

Words related to commander in chief

How to use commander in chief in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for commander in chief

Cultural definitions for commander in chief