chain of command

noun phrase

: a series of executive positions in order of authority

a military chain of command

Examples of chain of command in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Legault forwarded the complaint up the chain of command, warning district officials that this email was just the beginning. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Oct. 2026

Witt said it was assigned to him through the FBI's chain of command in July, after FBI Director Kash Patel gave the case to the Kansas City field office. — Sophia Vlahakis, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026

Meta had been hoping to avoid detailing the chain of command, particularly for leadership involved in early AI training. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 20 Oct. 2026

Fields said she was reassigned after taking her concerns beyond her direct chain of command, and ultimately resigned. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for chain of command

• analysand
• misunderstand
• ampersand
• beforehand
• behindhand
• bottomland
• contraband
• countermand
• dixieland
• fairyland
• fatherland
• firebrand