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.

---

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

---

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.

---

Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• commanders in chief
  plural

Etymology

Origin of commander in chief

First recorded in 1635–45

Example Sentences

Commander in chief: The constitutional role granted to the president as head of the United States' armed forces.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2016

Commander in chief of the two-bit Dominican air force, Ramfis came to the U.S. last summer to attend a year's course at the U.S.

From Time Magazine Archive

He watched Admiral William Veazie Pratt, Commander in chief of the U. S. Fleet, sworn in as his successor.

From Time Magazine Archive

Commander in chief of the exercise was 5-ft.-4-in.

From Time Magazine Archive

The States had appointed the Rhingrave of Salm their Commander in chief; a Prince without talents, without courage, and without principle.

From Memoir, Correspondence, And Miscellanies, From The Papers Of Thomas Jefferson, Volume 1 by Randolph, Thomas Jefferson