variants or less commonly tsar or tzar
Synonyms of czar
1
: emperor
specifically : the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution
2
: one having great power or authority
a banking czar

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.
White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed the investigation in an interview with Fox News on Monday, but offered few details. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 The search comes nearly a month after White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed a federal criminal investigation involving Omar. — Finya Swai, The Hill, 12 Oct. 2026 White House border czar Tom Homan said last month that there are no plans in place to send ICE to polling sites. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026 Trump said the post, which also announced plans to hire an AI czar. — Justin Papp,terri Cullen, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026 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 17 Oct. 2026.

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

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