1
: accorded highest rank or office
chief librarian
the company's chief executive
2
: of greatest importance or influence
the chief reasons
their chief accomplishment
1
: the upper part of a heraldic field
2
: the head of a body of persons or an organization : leader
chief of police
3
: the principal or most valuable part
would never rest till she had read the chief of the letter to him—
Jane Austen
Jane AustenExamples of chief in a Sentence
Adjective
the chief engineer on the project
Her job is their chief source of income.
He has many concerns, chief among them his health.
Noun
the chief of the estate was left to the eldest son
our chief is out on a business trip right now
Recent Examples on the Web
Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 12 Oct. 2025
The Taliban government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Afghan forces have captured 25 Pakistani army posts, 58 soldiers have been killed, and 30 others wounded.
—NPR, 12 Oct. 2025
Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
In June, Germany’s chief of defense, General Carsten Breuer, told the BBC that NATO must be ready to repel a possible Russian attack within the next four years, and that the Baltic states could be among the first in the firing line.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chief
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Adjective
His death comes shortly after a report from the chief inspector of prisons highlighted a sharp rise in violence at HMP Wakefield, according to the BBC.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 12 Oct. 2025
The Taliban government's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said Afghan forces have captured 25 Pakistani army posts, 58 soldiers have been killed, and 30 others wounded.
—NPR, 12 Oct. 2025
Noun
Wyeth had taken several photos of a woman wearing three layers of denim vests, all filled with pins and slogans against fascism, against patriarchy, against the pipeline, against the former rapist in chief, against starving children, against book bans, against transphobes.
—Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2025
In June, Germany’s chief of defense, General Carsten Breuer, told the BBC that NATO must be ready to repel a possible Russian attack within the next four years, and that the Baltic states could be among the first in the firing line.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chief
Cite this Entry
“Chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chief
2 of 2 noun
: the head of a group : leader
chief of police
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