chief justice

noun

: the presiding or principal judge of a court of justice

Examples of chief justice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Justice Debra Hembree Lambert has since been elected to take on the role of chief justice. Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 5 Nov. 2024 That expansion came over the objection of the court's chief justice at the time. Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024 Jonathan Dienst Jonathan Dienst is chief justice contributor for NBC News and chief investigative reporter for WNBC-TV in New York. Jonathan Dienst, NBC News, 22 Oct. 2024 Ethically, the idea of pressuring a sitting chief justice to retire could raise serious questions. David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for chief justice 

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chief justice was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near chief justice

Cite this Entry

“Chief justice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief%20justice. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

chief justice

noun
: the presiding or principal judge of a court of justice

Legal Definition

chief justice

noun
: a chief judge of a usually higher level court
specifically, often capitalized : the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
chief justiceship noun

More from Merriam-Webster on chief justice

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