commander in chief

noun phrase

: one who holds the supreme command of an armed force

Examples of commander in chief in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Trump last month utilized the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law that grants the commander in chief authority to detain or deport non-citizens. Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025 Tiffany Trump is the daughter of the commander in chief and his second wife, Marla Maples. Judy Kurtz, The Hill, 8 Apr. 2025 Delivering the ruling, Justice Moon said Mr. Yoon had abused his duties as the nation’s commander in chief. Jin Yu Young, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2025 Trump as president is the commander in chief, but Milley made his sneaky calls to the Chinese without Trump’s knowledge or approval. Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 29 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for commander in chief

Word History

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of commander in chief was in 1654

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Cite this Entry

“Commander in chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commander%20in%20chief. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

commander in chief

: one who holds the supreme command of an armed force

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