editor in chief

American  

noun

plural

editors in chief

1. the policy-making executive or principal editor of a publishing house, publication, etc.

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editor in chief British  

noun

1. the controlling editor of a publication

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Etymology

Origin of editor in chief

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Guest: Nilay Patel, co-founder and editor in chief of The Verge.

From Slate • May 10, 2026

The hard part wasn’t deciding whether it belonged in a journal that I oversee as editor in chief.

From Slate • May 3, 2026

Those belts, if you’ll remember, were the trigger for Meryl Streep’s Oscar-nominated speech about how her imperious fashion magazine editor in chief Miranda Priestly creates trends that trickle down to the rest of us rabble.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

The original, based on author Lauren Weisberger’s thinly veiled, workplace revenge fantasy about her time assisting Vogue’s editor in chief, Anna Wintour, was a huge hit, grossing more than $326.5 million worldwide.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

When I was a junior, Miss Bivens made me the editor in chief, though the job was supposed to go to a senior.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls