chief

1 of 3

adjective

ˈchēf 

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

chief

2 of 3

adverb

archaic

: chiefly

chief

3 of 3

noun

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

chiefship

ˈchēf-ˌship 

noun

see also:

in chief

Synonyms of chief

Adjective

• main
• greatest
• primary
• highest
• foremost
• predominant
• dominant
• principal
• leading
• first
• big

Noun

• body
• core
• bulk
• weight
• majority
• main
• staple

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 Web

Adjective

Headline global inventory figures can be misleading as much of the oil stored worldwide cannot be used immediately, said Currie, Carlyle’s chief strategy officer of energy pathways and co-chairman of Abaxx Markets. —Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 25 May 2026

The strategic question facing every chief marketing officer this year is not what to do about AI in the abstract. —Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 24 May 2026

Noun

But the name now is aligned with the ominous announcement Friday by an Orange County Fire Authority chief that the tank would either leak up to 7,000 gallons of toxic chemicals onto the property or … explode. —Tony Saavedra, Oc Register, 23 May 2026

Tallinn, Estonia — Russian President Vladimir Putin is running out of time to win his war against Ukraine, amid a stalemate on the battlefield and growing troubles at home, a European intelligence chief has told CNN. —Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 23 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle English, from Anglo-French chief, chef head, chief, from Latin caput head — more at head

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1586, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing chief

• air chief marshal
• chief constable
• chief executive
• chief executive officer
• chief justice
• chief master sergeant
• chief master sergeant of the air force
• chief of naval operations
• chief of police
• chief of staff
• chief of state
• chief petty officer
• chief warrant officer
• commander in chief
• crew chief
• editor in chief
• fire chief
• in chief
• master chief petty officer
• master chief petty officer of the coast guard
• master chief petty officer of the navy
• senior chief petty officer
• sub-chief

Rhymes for chief

• beef
• brief
• fief
• grief
• leaf
• lief
• reef
• reif
• seif
• sheaf
• thief
• belief

Kids Definition

chief

1 of 2 adjective

ˈchēf 

1

: highest in rank or authority

chief librarian

2

: most important : main

your chief claim to fame

chief

2 of 2 noun

: the head of a group : leader

chief of police

Etymology

Noun

Middle English chief "top part, head," from early French chief "head, chief," from Latin caput "head" — related to capital, captain