tsar
Americannoun
noun
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(until 1917) the emperor of Russia
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a tyrant; autocrat
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informal a public official charged with responsibility for dealing with a certain problem or issue
a drugs tsar
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informal a person in authority; leader
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(formerly) any of several S Slavonic rulers, such as any of the princes of Serbia in the 14th century
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tsar
from Russian tsar , via Gothic kaisar from Latin Caesar
Explanation
In Russia, the tsar was the supreme male monarch, or king. The last Russian tsar was overthrown in 1917 — but you can still use this word for the head of a big government program. In the tenth century, tsar or czar was the title of certain Slavic and Eastern European monarchs, and from 1547 until the Russian Revolution, a tsar also ruled over Russia. The word comes from the Latin caesar, or "emperor," a title inspired by Julius Caesar. Tsar is used metaphorically for someone heading up a special government project, like the climate tsar President Obama appointed or the oil tsar hired by President Roosevelt.
Vocabulary lists containing tsar
Russia - Introductory
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Russia - Middle School and High School
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Absolutism and Enlightenment, Lessons 1–4
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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.
McGovern said the government would "appoint a dementia tsar, backed with real expertise".
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
EU tech tsar Henna Virkkunen will unveil the new "technological sovereignty" package in Brussels, including new rules on chips, cloud computing and AI.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
On Monday, White House border tsar Tom Homan said hundreds of ICE agents had been deployed to 14 airports in cities including New York, Atlanta and Houston.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026
This week, he sent White House border tsar Tom Homan to take over the operation there, known as Operation Metro Surge.
From BBC ● Jan. 27, 2026
What would happen to Kievan Rus’ as a nation if only the tsar and his henchmen could use magic?
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
