chief of staff

noun phrase

1

: the ranking officer of a staff in the armed forces serving as principal adviser to a commander

2

: the ranking officer of the army or air force and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Examples of chief of staff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Michael Coen, the former FEMA chief of staff in the Biden and Obama administrations told ABC News that FEMA is a critical organization that supports people on their worst days. — Luke Barr, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026

That loss helped lead to Who Decides, the nonprofit Bores launched on Tuesday with his former chief of staff, Anna Myers. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2026

One witness said that Jason Weida, now DeSantis’ chief of staff and the secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration at the time of the settlement negotiations, had the idea to direct a portion of the taxpayer funds to Hope Florida. — Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026

Ossoff is referencing Collins' ongoing House ethics investigation in which he and his former chief of staff were accused of paying a staffer for a no-show job, thereby misusing congressional and taxpayer resources. — Irene Wright, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chief of staff

• autograph
• biograph
• cenotaph
• chronograph
• epigraph
• epitaph
• hodograph
• holograph
• hydrograph
• lithograph
• micrograph
• monograph

Kids Definition

chief of staff

1

: the ranking officer of a staff in the armed forces who advises a commander

2

: the ranking officer of the army or air force