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chief
[ cheef ]
noun
- the head or leader of an organized body of people; the person highest in authority:
the chief of police.
- the head or ruler of a tribe or clan:
an Indian chief.
- Chief, U.S. Army. a title of some advisers to the Chief of Staff, who do not, in most instances, command the troop units of their arms or services:
Chief of Engineers;
Chief Signal Officer.
- Informal: Sometimes Offensive. boss or leader:
We'll have to talk to the chief about this.
- Heraldry.
- the upper area of an escutcheon.
- an ordinary occupying this area.
adjective
- highest in rank or authority:
the chief priest;
the chief administrator.
Antonyms:
- most important; principal:
his chief merit;
the chief difficulty.
Synonyms: , , , ,
adverb
- Archaic. chiefly; principally.
chief
/ ʃː /
noun
- the head, leader, or most important individual in a group or body of people
- another word for chieftain
- heraldry the upper third of a shield
- in chiefprimarily; especially
adjective
- prenominal
- most important; principal
- highest in rank or authority
adverb
- archaic.principally
Sensitive Note
Other Word Forms
- · adjective
- · noun
- ܲ· noun
- ܲ·· noun
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of chief1
Idioms and Phrases
- in chief,
- in the chief position; highest in rank (used in combination):
editor in chief; commander in chief.
- Heraldry. in the upper part of an escutcheon.
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
In January the country's new Communist party chief, To Lam, embarked on a program to slash bureaucracy that could impress Elon Musk, who has been overseeing the Trump administration's controversial cost-cutting team.
Andrew Karpen, chief executive and founder of independent film distribution company Bleecker Street Media, died Monday of glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer.
“We think this will get people in 20 to 30 minutes faster,” said Bill Foltz, chief executive officer of OC Sports and Entertainment.
Noting his falling approval ratings, Karl Rove, the chief political advisor to former President George W. Bush, observed in an April 16 Wall Street Journal editorial that the nation is experiencing "Trump fatigue."
On Tuesday, the UN's human rights chief urged the world to "prevent the total collapse of critical life-saving support in Gaza".
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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