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jefe

American  
[he-fe, hey-fey] / ˈhɛ fɛ, ˈheɪ feɪ /

noun

Spanish.
jefes plural
  1. leader; chief; boss.


jefe British  
/ ˈxefe /

noun

  1. (in Spanish-speaking countries) a military or political leader

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of jefe

Spanish, from French chef chief

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Many of my peers learned English from Scully — as my jefe Hector once wrote, there was no better teacher outside of Warner Bros. cartoons.

From Los Angeles Times Aug. 3, 2022

When Lydia’s journalist husband publishes an exposé of el jefe, she and her son are forced to head north on La Bestia, the train that takes migrants toward the United States.

From Washington Post Dec. 31, 2019

By April 18, the sometime ship mechanic Manuel Hedilla, acting head of the party, was elected its new jefe nacional by a narrow vote.

From Slate Feb. 9, 2017

Some of this evidence has cast an unflattering light on Donziger's tenure as el jefe of the war against Chevron.

From BusinessWeek Mar. 10, 2011

But he can’t just keep being the jefe.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

I lash out at people for free instead of channeling my ire into my columnas, which understandably annoys my jefes.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 1, 2023

A few hours after the livestream ended, the channel was banned before being unbanned less than a day later. ¿y ahora cómo le explico esto a mis jefes?

From The Verge Dec. 22, 2021

“A lot of it boils down to keeping the jefes happy,” Garriola said.

From Washington Post

He did everything in his power for our comfort and assistance, and supplied us with letters to the jefes politicos of the districts through which we were to pass.

From In Indian Mexico (1908) by Starr, Frederick

And to all the governors of the states and to the jefes of the districts we are under many obligations, and express to each and all our appreciation of their kind assistance.

From In Indian Mexico (1908) by Starr, Frederick

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