chief

[ cheef ]

noun

1. the head or leader of an organized body of people; the person highest in authority:

   the chief of police.

2. the head or ruler of a tribe or clan:

   an Indian chief.

3. Chief, U.S. Army. a title of some advisers to the Chief of Staff, who do not, in most instances, command the troop units of their arms or services:

   Chief of Engineers;

   Chief Signal Officer.

4. Informal: Sometimes Offensive. boss or leader:

   We'll have to talk to the chief about this.

5. Heraldry.
   1. the upper area of an escutcheon.
   2. an ordinary occupying this area.

adjective

1. highest in rank or authority:

   the chief priest;

   the chief administrator.

   Antonyms: subordinate

2. most important; principal:

   his chief merit;

   the chief difficulty.

   Synonyms: paramount, prime, leading, foremost, cardinal

adverb

1. Archaic. chiefly; principally.

chief

/ tʃiːf /

noun

1. the head, leader, or most important individual in a group or body of people
2. another word for chieftain
3. heraldry the upper third of a shield
4. in chief
   primarily; especially

adjective

1. prenominal
   1. most important; principal
   2. highest in rank or authority

adverb

1. archaic.
   principally

Sensitive Note

See powwow.

Other Words From

• chief·less adjective
• chief·ship noun
• sub·chief noun
• un·der·chief noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of chief¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French chief, chef, Old French chef, from unattested Vulgar Latin capum, re-formation of Latin caput head

Word History and Origins

Origin of chief¹

C13: from Old French, from Latin caput head

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in chief,
   1. in the chief position; highest in rank (used in combination):

      editor in chief; commander in chief.

   2. Heraldry. in the upper part of an escutcheon.

Synonym Study

See capital ¹.

Example Sentences

On 29 October, McDonald's chief executive Chris Kempczinski apologised for the outbreak, saying the firm was "sorry for what our customers experienced".

From BBC

Ben Collins, a former NBC News journalist who is chief executive of The Onion’s parent company, said on X: “We're planning on making a very stupid website.”

From BBC

Trump has named Taylor Budowich as a deputy chief of staff in charge of communications and personnel.

From Salon

Tracy Blackwell, chief executive of Pension Insurance Corporation, told the BBC: "I think by having the scale and the right expertise internally to invest in a wide range of assets, they'll be able to invest in a lot more than what they can invest in now."

From BBC

US-born Yechiel Leiter, who was Netanyahu’s chief of staff when he was finance minister, supports the annexation of the West Bank.

From BBC

Related Words

• captain
• commander
• director
• head
• leader
• manager
• ruler
• superintendent
• supervisor