czar

noun

ˈzär  ˈ(t)sär 

variants or less commonly tsar or tzar

1

: emperor

specifically : the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution

2

: one having great power or authority

a banking czar

czardom noun

or less commonly tsardom or tzardom

ˈzär-dəm 

ˈ(t)sär-

Synonyms

• baron
• captain
• king
• lion
• lord
• magnate
• mogul
• monarch
• Napoleon
• prince
• tycoon

Examples of czar in a Sentence

a showbiz czar who is said to be able to make or break a career

Recent Examples on the Web

Topline Earth’s richest person Elon Musk, President-Elect Donald Trump’s cost-cutting czar, identified a fresh federal government enemy: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a relatively new agency created following the Great Recession. —Derek Saul, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Homan displays the sort of belligerence that attracts Trump, but a big question is how far the border czar will go to carry out his mandate. —Chloe Berger, Fortune, 27 Nov. 2024

Tom Homan, the incoming border czar, told Fox News the Trump administration might withhold federal funds from states that do not adhere to the deportation plans. —Janae Bowens, Baltimore Sun, 27 Nov. 2024

Trump names former Border Patrol agent, ICE chief named 'border czar' Texas Land Commissioner also reveals new border control plans. —Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin czar, from Russian tsar', from Old Russian tsĭsarĭ, from Goth kaisar, from Greek or Latin; Greek, from Latin Caesar — more at caesar

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

czar

noun

variants also tsar or tzar

ˈzär

1

: the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution

2

: one having great power or authority

a baseball czar

czardom noun

also tsardom or tzardom

ˈzärd-əm

Etymology

Latin czar "czar," from Russian tsar' (same meaning), from early Russian tsǐsarǐ, tsěsarǐ "emperor," from a Germanic word kaisar "emperor," derived from Latin Caesar (title of a line of Roman emperors after Augustus Caesar) see Word History at emperor