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 Austen
Synonyms
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 WebDrew Harwell, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Hard partying might be fine on a fishing trip or a golf outing, said Caitlin Crunk, Mammoth Hospital’s chief nursing officer.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
But craft beer production likely declined in 2023, the association's chief economist Bart Watson said in a year-end presentation.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Helm is a paleontologist at Nelson Mandela University, while Whitfield is the emeritus chief scientist at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, has been among the more bullish financial commentators since recession concerns grew in 2022.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
By Todd Woody | Bloomberg As California’s longtime chief climate regulator, Mary Nichols once championed hydrogen fuel cell cars.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
By Todd Woody As California’s longtime chief climate regulator, Mary Nichols once championed hydrogen fuel cell cars.
—Bloomberg, Orange County Register, 4 Apr. 2024
Cameron Adams, Canva cofounder and chief product officer, didn’t know anyone at creative design software provider Affinity.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2024
Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
Assistant District Attorney Gilbert Sawtelle, a chief in the district attorney's office's Child Fatality Section, prosecuted Hooey and said child abusers often work to hide signs of abuse by keeping children away from other adults or dressing them to cover the injuries.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 8 Apr. 2024
The visit, her second to China in nine months as treasury chief, is aimed at addressing escalating trade disputes between the world’s largest economies as the two sides try to stabilize relations following a summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping last November.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
The judge also sentenced Mr. Trump’s longtime finance chief, Allen H. Weisselberg, to five months at the Rikers Island jail complex.
—William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The unit, founded in 2012, was hard hit by former CNN chief Chris Licht’s budget-cutting spree during his short tenure at the network.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Last year, senior prosecutor Jung Soon-shin’s appointment as chief of the National Office of Investigation was canceled by President Yoon Suk-yeol after reports emerged that Jung had defended his son when the latter was accused of verbally harassing a high school classmate.
—Koh Ewe, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Airline chiefs have been complaining about Boeing’s spate of safety and quality issues for the past few months.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 28 Mar. 2024
Goods that are already on the docks can still be moved by trucks, according to Ken Adamo, chief of analytics at DAT Solutions.
—David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The executives Trump Media’s chief financial officer, Phillip Juhan, received 490,000 shares, worth $19.8 million.
—Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024
Hard partying might be fine on a fishing trip or a golf outing, said Caitlin Crunk, Mammoth Hospital’s chief nursing officer.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2024
But craft beer production likely declined in 2023, the association's chief economist Bart Watson said in a year-end presentation.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 6 Apr. 2024
Helm is a paleontologist at Nelson Mandela University, while Whitfield is the emeritus chief scientist at the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, has been among the more bullish financial commentators since recession concerns grew in 2022.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
By Todd Woody | Bloomberg As California’s longtime chief climate regulator, Mary Nichols once championed hydrogen fuel cell cars.
—Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
By Todd Woody As California’s longtime chief climate regulator, Mary Nichols once championed hydrogen fuel cell cars.
—Bloomberg, Orange County Register, 4 Apr. 2024
Cameron Adams, Canva cofounder and chief product officer, didn’t know anyone at creative design software provider Affinity.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2024
Noun
With British companies looking for greener pastures in the U.S., top chiefs flagging low pay, and public listings feeling tedious, the post-Brexit U.K. has seen more discouraging news in the business realm than anticipated.
—Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
Assistant District Attorney Gilbert Sawtelle, a chief in the district attorney's office's Child Fatality Section, prosecuted Hooey and said child abusers often work to hide signs of abuse by keeping children away from other adults or dressing them to cover the injuries.
—Landon Mion, Fox News, 8 Apr. 2024
The visit, her second to China in nine months as treasury chief, is aimed at addressing escalating trade disputes between the world’s largest economies as the two sides try to stabilize relations following a summit between US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping last November.
—Nectar Gan, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
The judge also sentenced Mr. Trump’s longtime finance chief, Allen H. Weisselberg, to five months at the Rikers Island jail complex.
—William K. Rashbaum, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2024
The unit, founded in 2012, was hard hit by former CNN chief Chris Licht’s budget-cutting spree during his short tenure at the network.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Last year, senior prosecutor Jung Soon-shin’s appointment as chief of the National Office of Investigation was canceled by President Yoon Suk-yeol after reports emerged that Jung had defended his son when the latter was accused of verbally harassing a high school classmate.
—Koh Ewe, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Airline chiefs have been complaining about Boeing’s spate of safety and quality issues for the past few months.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 28 Mar. 2024
Goods that are already on the docks can still be moved by trucks, according to Ken Adamo, chief of analytics at DAT Solutions.
—David J. Lynch, Washington Post, 26 Mar. 2024
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.
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
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of chief was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing chief
Dictionary Entries Near chief
Cite this Entry
“Chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
chief
2 of 2 noun
: the head of a group : leader
chief of police
More from Merriam-Webster on chief
Nglish: Translation of chief for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of chief for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chief
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