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

His crypto policy team is already taking shape, with the announcement this month of crypto-friendly Securities and Exchange Commission chair Paul Atkins and White House crypto czar David Sacks. —Hannah Lang, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024

As a result, the incoming administration has positioned itself as more overtly tech-friendly, announcing a new Department of Government Efficiency to be led by tech veterans Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, as well as a White House AI and crypto czar. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024

The incoming border czar, Tom Homan, says these children are being exploited and trafficked. —CBS News, 22 Dec. 2024

Investors expect Trump will ease regulation and allow for more innovation with government appointments including ex-PayPal executive and Silicon Valley investor David Sacks as AI and crypto czar. —Hugh Son, CNBC, 20 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