plural chefs
1
: a skilled professional cook
a trained chef
specifically
: one who is in charge of a professional kitchen
I wrote to the chef of an acclaimed New American restaurant on the Upper East Side about my food experiences. He invited me to spend a few days in the kitchen on a trial basis. —
Adam Shatz
Adam Shatz 2
: cook
chef
intransitive verb
Examples of chef in a Sentence
The hotel's chef trained at the finest culinary institutes in Europe.
He's the head chef at a five-star restaurant.
a celebrity chef with her own TV show
My friend is an excellent chef.
Recent Examples on the Web
Many of the recipes below are from chef Thomas Keller of the French Laundry in Napa Valley, in addition to Per Se in New York and other fine-dining institutions.
—Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024
If using a base, chef Coleman Jernigan opts for Minors which makes a variety of flavors (both vegetarian and meat-based) for all of your home cooking needs.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2024
Big changes are coming to Locust on the heels of chef Trevor Moran's James Beard award recognition.
—Amber Roberson, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Connecting over meals From dining alongside refugee neighbors to supporting in-house immigrant chefs, here are four U.S. opportunities to connect with other cultures—and, in some cases, each other—over meals.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chef 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 22 Dec. 2024
If using a base, chef Coleman Jernigan opts for Minors which makes a variety of flavors (both vegetarian and meat-based) for all of your home cooking needs.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 21 Dec. 2024
Big changes are coming to Locust on the heels of chef Trevor Moran's James Beard award recognition.
—Amber Roberson, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
Connecting over meals From dining alongside refugee neighbors to supporting in-house immigrant chefs, here are four U.S. opportunities to connect with other cultures—and, in some cases, each other—over meals.
—Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for chef
Dictionary Entries Near chef
Cite this Entry
“Chef.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chef. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chef
noun1
: a chief cook
2
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share