1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
our chief priority this year will be cutting the budget
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in presiding
highest in rank or authority
the chief administrator will be retiring soon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in body
the main or greater part of something as distinguished from its subordinate parts
the chief of the estate was left to the eldest son
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in leader
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do
our chief is out on a business trip right now
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chief
Trysh Travis / Made By History, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Dana Levenson was the city’s chief financial officer from 2004 to 2007.
—Dana Levenson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025
John Keller, the acting chief of the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, and Kevin Driscoll, the acting head of the DOJ's criminal division, also swiftly resigned.
—Dave Lawler, Axios, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chief
Adjective
The private sector and the military were arguably better positioned to become the chief stewards of American scientific inquiry.
—Trysh Travis / Made By History, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
Dana Levenson was the city’s chief financial officer from 2004 to 2007.
—Dana Levenson, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, agreed with that assessment.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 15 Feb. 2025
John Keller, the acting chief of the Justice Department's Public Integrity Section, and Kevin Driscoll, the acting head of the DOJ's criminal division, also swiftly resigned.
—Dave Lawler, Axios, 14 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chief
Adjective
-
Anantara Bo Phut in Samui served as our main exterior entrance and reception area, Anantara Mai Khao in Phuket as the spa, and Rosewood Phuket as the dinner restaurant.—
Jim Halterman,
IndieWire,
24 Feb. 2025
-
The group was dealt another blow with the fall of the Assad family's five-decade rule in Syria in early December, which blocked a main route for the flow of weapons and money from Iran.—
BASSEM MROUE,
arkansasonline.com,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
According to the official policy, any recruit who sought to join the Army was supposed to be, at most, only 8% above body fat requirements to enlist before training to comply with military standards.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
26 Feb. 2025
-
When someone touches you, a knee-jerk response can be anything from feeling the hair on your body stand to wanting to melt into a puddle of goodness.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The subpoenas requested the two union leaders produce documents by Feb. 20 that include any communication — emails, texts messages, Signal messages, WhatsApp messages or any other electronic messages — sent to or received from board members and Gates and Potter.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The north London side’s 1-0 home defeat to West Ham United on Saturday alongside Liverpool’s 2-0 victory at Manchester City the following day increased the gap between Arsenal and the league leaders to 11 points, although Arsenal have played one game fewer.—
James McNicholas,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The biographical circumstances and the reddish tinge of the foremost prisoner’s hair have led commentators to interpret the image metaphorically, even solipsistically––the prisoner becomes a cipher for van Gogh, physically and psychologically incarcerated.—
Sarah C. Schaefer,
Artforum,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders.—
Christian Oberbeck,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
That's why empathy is often a core value for families.—
Alana Bracken,
Parents,
28 Feb. 2025
-
This mirrors Nvidia's strategy with DLSS, which has always leveraged the tensor cores found in RTX GPUs to run machine-learning models to achieve superior image quality for upscaled and AI-generated frames.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Since Glossip’s 1998 conviction as the alleged orchestrator of a murder-for-hire scheme targeting his boss, Oklahoma City motel owner Barry Van Treese, a raft of issues with his prosecution has surfaced, coinciding with a shift of political winds now at the inmate’s back.—
Dakin Andone,
CNN,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Ford’s shrewd boss, Robert McNamara, was ready to kill the nameplate altogether, facing another homely redesign approved for 1961.—
Raphael Orlove,
Robb Report,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The money could give him a significant edge with just four months to go until the primary election.—
Gloria Pazmino,
CNN,
1 Mar. 2025
-
The interface consists of selecting a primary tool and then a contextual menu at the bottom of the screen with the options for that tool.—
Julian Chokkattu,
WIRED,
1 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The bet: Vinícius Júnior as anytime goalscorer (6/5) Paris Saint-Germain vs Brest With a commanding three-goal lead from the first leg Paris Saint-Germain are in the driver’s seat, allowing Luis Enrique to lean less on his superstar core.—
Julia Ranney,
The Athletic,
19 Feb. 2025
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Post misrepresents video of Trump at College Football Playoff title game Trump became the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl on Feb. 9, watching as the Philadelphia Eagles built a commanding lead over the Kansas City Chiefs before leaving the game at halftime.—
Andre Byik,
USA TODAY,
15 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chief. Accessed 6 Mar. 2025.
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