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

Now, the 43-year-old Drapatiy has been selected by President Volodymyr Zelensky to lead Ukraine’s forces as commander in chief.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 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

A birthday present for our commander in chief, perhaps.

From Slate ● Jun. 16, 2026

General Philippe Pétain, who replaced Nivelle as commander in chief, dealt with the mutiny more through persuasion than punishment.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman