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 How to pronounce czar (audio)
ˈ(t)sär-

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ashish Jha, the dean of Brown University’s School of Public Health and the Biden administration’s COVID czar, agreed. Yasmin Tayag, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2025 Motion picture marketing czar Josh Goldstine is in final talks to come aboard Paramount as the new Global Head of Marketing and Distribution under the studio’s new Motion Picture co-chairs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein, sources say. Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2025 The White House doesn’t plan on appointing a family czar, who would convene key players across different industries to help boost the birth rate. Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 13 Sep. 2025 White House border czar Tom Homan said Sunday that the raid was just the beginning of what's to come from the administration. Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for czar

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of czar was in 1555

Cite this Entry

“Czar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/czar. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on czar

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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