chef

noun

plural chefs
1
: a skilled professional cook
a trained chef
specifically : one who is in charge of a professional kitchen
I wrote to the chef of an acclaimed New American restaurant on the Upper East Side about my food experiences. He invited me to spend a few days in the kitchen on a trial basis. Adam Shatz
2
: cook
chef intransitive verb
chefdom noun

Examples of chef in a Sentence

The hotel's chef trained at the finest culinary institutes in Europe. He's the head chef at a five-star restaurant. a celebrity chef with her own TV show My friend is an excellent chef.
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.
Locals provided food, shelter, and comfort, even as air traffic controllers turned into makeshift chefs to support their unexpected guests. Kevin Sabet, Newsweek, 24 Mar. 2025 Other features include four fireplaces, a chef's kitchen, two parking spaces and central heating and cooling, according to the website. Steph Solis, Axios, 24 Mar. 2025 This will hold especially true if attendees can sample the food prepared on stage by López-Alt and several prominent San Diego chefs as the music is being played. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Mar. 2025 Deeply faithful to the restaurant's farm-to-table concept, chefs at NM curate seasonal menus featuring local ingredients. Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 23 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chef

Word History

Etymology

French, short for chef de cuisine head of the kitchen

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chef was in 1826

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Cite this Entry

“Chef.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chef. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

chef

noun
1
: a chief cook
2

More from Merriam-Webster on chef

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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