commander in chief

noun

, plural commanders in chief.

1. Also Commander in Chief. the supreme commander of the armed forces of a nation or, sometimes, of several allied nations:

   The president is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force.

2. an officer in command of a particular portion of an armed force who has been given this title by specific authorization.

commander in chief

noun

1. the officer holding supreme command of the forces in an area or operation
2. the officer holding command of a major subdivision of one military service

commander in chief

1. The role of the United States president as highest ranking officer in the armed forces. The Constitution provides this power, but, through the system of checks and balances , gives Congress the authority to declare war. During periods of war, presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt , Lyndon Johnson , George H. W. Bush , William Jefferson Clinton , and George W. Bush have taken active roles as commander in chief.

Word History and Origins

Origin of commander in chief¹

First recorded in 1635–45

Example Sentences

The American president is, after all, the commander in chief of the world’s most formidable fighting machine, and the figure ultimately responsible for the nation’s safety and security.

From Los Angeles Times

At least two of those relationships with civilian Pentagon chiefs — retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis and Army combat veteran Mark Esper — resulted in open acrimony, despite a long-standing reluctance on the part of current and retired military officers to publicly criticize the commander in chief.

From Los Angeles Times

We’ll probably never know, even when he becomes, once again, commander in chief and appoints his hand-picked loyalists to positions of power in the Pentagon and across the armed forces.

From Salon

I spoke with Dennis Fan, a former federal prosecutor and a professor at Columbia Law, who explained how prosecutors could navigate the end of their cases while Trump prepares to become the next commander in chief.

From Slate

And so, in a sense, the many questions posed by this showdown boil down to just one: Will the next president embrace the traditional role of a commander in chief with robust yet limited powers, with a fundamental obligation to serve the citizenry over her parochial needs, and with ultimate accountability to the people and the law?

From Slate