czar

noun

ˈzär  ˈ(t)sär 

variants or less commonly tsar or tzar

1

: emperor

specifically : the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution

2

: one having great power or authority

a banking czar

czardom noun

or less commonly tsardom or tzardom

ˈzär-dəm 

ˈ(t)sär-

Synonyms

• baron
• captain
• king
• lion
• lord
• magnate
• mogul
• monarch
• Napoleon
• prince
• tycoon

Examples of czar in a Sentence

a showbiz czar who is said to be able to make or break a career

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, recently issued a stark warning to Democratic lawmakers. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024

That includes South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who Trump has nominated to serve as Department of Homeland Security secretary, and Tom Homan, who Trump tapped to act as border czar. —Lauren Irwin, The Hill, 11 Dec. 2024

The same overlap applies to technology executives like David Sacks, the anti-woke venture capitalist Trump has named as his AI and crypto czar. —Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2024

Tom Homan, Trump's incoming border czar, has suggested people who have been ordered to leave the country but don't, become fugitives. —Sergio Martínez-Beltrán, NPR, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin czar, from Russian tsar', from Old Russian tsĭsarĭ, from Goth kaisar, from Greek or Latin; Greek, from Latin Caesar — more at caesar

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

czar

noun

variants also tsar or tzar

ˈzär

1

: the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution

2

: one having great power or authority

a baseball czar

czardom noun

also tsardom or tzardom

ˈzärd-əm

Etymology

Latin czar "czar," from Russian tsar' (same meaning), from early Russian tsǐsarǐ, tsěsarǐ "emperor," from a Germanic word kaisar "emperor," derived from Latin Caesar (title of a line of Roman emperors after Augustus Caesar) see Word History at emperor