czar

American  

[zahr, tsahr] / zɑr, tsɑr /

Or tsar,

noun

1. an emperor or king.

2. (often initial capital letter) the former emperor of Russia.

3. an autocratic ruler or leader.

4. any person exercising great authority or power in a particular field.

   a czar of industry.

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czar British  

/ zɑː /

noun

1. a variant spelling (esp US) of tsar

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czar Cultural  

1. The title of rulers or emperors of Russia from the sixteenth century until the Russian Revolution. The czars ruled as absolute monarchs (see absolute monarchy) until the early twentieth century, when a parliament was established in Russia. Czar can also be spelled tsar.

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Discover More

The term czar is sometimes applied generally to a powerful leader or to a government administrator with wide-ranging powers.

Other Word Forms

• czardom
  noun

Etymology

Origin of czar

First recorded in 1545–55; from Russian tsar', Old Russian tsĭsarĭ “emperor, king” (akin to Old Church Slavonic tsěsarĭ ), from Gothic kaisar “emperor” (from Greek or Latin ); Greek kaîsar, from Latin Caesar; see Caesar ( def. )

Explanation

Czar is a Russian word for ruler or emperor. Those kinds of czars are long gone, but we still use the word to describe people in charge of something important. Up until the early 20th century, the ruler in Russia was a man called a czar who had total power, like an emperor or dictator. In English, czar has hung around as a word for anyone in charge of anything. If you run a book club, you might jokingly call yourself a book czar. In the U.S. government, people in charge of large departments are often called czars — like the housing czar or labor czar.

Example Sentences

US President Donald Trump posted on social media that ICE agents will go to airports on Monday, while Border Czar Tom Homan told CNN that his team was working out the details of the plan.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

Among them: White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks, who moved to Texas in December, according to a news release from his venture-capital firm, and four of Lesperance’s clients.

From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026

White House AI Czar David Sacks and other administration officials have pushed to take on state AI laws, hoping to remove obstacles for tech companies competing with Chinese companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 27, 2025

The coin’s launch coincided with a black-tie pre-inauguration “Crypto Ball” in D.C., headlined by Trump’s incoming "Crypto Czar" David Sacks and attended by a who’s who of crypto industry insiders.

From Salon • Jan. 18, 2025

Russian generals persuaded Czar Nicholas to order a partial mobilization, in response to Austria’s full-scale preparation for war.

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

Related Words

• ruler