1
: accorded highest rank or office
chief librarian
the company's chief executive
2
: of greatest importance or influence
the chief reasons
their chief accomplishment
1
: the upper part of a heraldic field
2
: the head of a body of persons or an organization : leader
chief of police
3
: the principal or most valuable part
would never rest till she had read the chief of the letter to him—
Jane Austen
Jane AustenSynonyms
Examples of chief in a Sentence
Adjective
the chief engineer on the project
Her job is their chief source of income.
He has many concerns, chief among them his health.
Noun
the chief of the estate was left to the eldest son
our chief is out on a business trip right now
Recent Examples on the WebJean E. Palmieri, WWD, 11 Sep. 2024
Joining her on stage is Dr. Asima Ahmad, the cofounder & chief medical officer of Carrot Fertility, in a panel moderated by Forbes Editor-at-Large Maneet Ahuja.
—Zoya Hasan, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
The office of the chief prosecutor for military commissions sent an email communication to the families shortly before publicly announcing the plea agreements that would have avoided a complex trial.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024
The Reel Asian Fire Horse Award was created in 2021 to honor Reel Asian founder Anita Lee, who is also the chief programming officer for the Toronto Film Festival.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chief 
Adjective
The former chief marketing officer of Johnnie-O has joined Carhartt as vice president of brand marketing and creative.
—Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 11 Sep. 2024
Joining her on stage is Dr. Asima Ahmad, the cofounder & chief medical officer of Carrot Fertility, in a panel moderated by Forbes Editor-at-Large Maneet Ahuja.
—Zoya Hasan, Forbes, 11 Sep. 2024
The office of the chief prosecutor for military commissions sent an email communication to the families shortly before publicly announcing the plea agreements that would have avoided a complex trial.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN, 11 Sep. 2024
The Reel Asian Fire Horse Award was created in 2021 to honor Reel Asian founder Anita Lee, who is also the chief programming officer for the Toronto Film Festival.
—Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chief
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chief.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near chief
Cite this Entry
“Chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief. Accessed 19 Sep. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chief
2 of 2 noun
: the head of a group : leader
chief of police
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