chancellor

noun

chan·​cel·​lor ˈchan(t)-s(ə-)lər 

1

a

: the secretary of a nobleman, prince, or king

b

: the lord chancellor of Great Britain

c

British : the chief secretary of an embassy

d

: a Roman Catholic priest heading the office in which diocesan business is transacted and recorded

2

a

: the titular head of a British university

b(1)

: a university president

(2)

: the chief executive officer in some state systems of higher education

3

a

: a lay legal officer or adviser of an Anglican diocese

b

: a judge in a court of chancery or equity in various states of the U.S.

4

: the chief minister of state in some European countries

chancellorship

ˈchan(t)-s(ə-)lər-ˌship 

noun

Examples of chancellor in a Sentence

the new chancellor of the university

Recent Examples on the Web

Close to 600 letters were sent to the chancellor, asking him not to appoint Lynch-Reyes. —Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2026

Last week, Musk’s attorneys demanded that the Delaware Chancery Court chancellor recuse herself from the cases. —Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 30 Mar. 2026

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is holding talks Monday with energy industry leaders, including those from BP and Shell, while his chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to push clean energy acceleration to guard against global price shocks. —Npr Staff, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026

The other two finalists, announced earlier this month, were Meisha Porter, former chancellor of New York City Public Schools, and Sito Narcisse, former superintendent of East Baton Rouge Parish Public Schools. —Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English chanceler, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin cancellarius doorkeeper, secretary, from cancellus

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Phrases Containing chancellor

• chancellor of the exchequer
• lord chancellor
• vice-chancellor

Kids Definition

chancellor

noun

chan·​cel·​lor ˈchan(t)-s(ə-)lər 

1

: the chief minister of state in some European countries

2

: the head of a university

Legal Definition

chancellor

noun

chan·​cel·​lor ˈchan-sə-lər 

1

: the head of a chancery: as

a

: the Lord Chancellor of Great Britain

b

: a judge in a court of equity in various states

2

a

: a university president

b

: the chief executive officer in some state systems of higher education

3

: the chief minister of state in some European countries (as Germany)

Etymology

Old French chancelier royal secretary, from Late Latin cancellarius doorkeeper, clerk, from Latin cancellus latticework barrier