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
Adam Shatz 2
: cook
chef
intransitive verb
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
His girlfriend in stirrups, her assistant slicing the fruit with a scalpel instead of a chef’s knife.
—Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
This collection alone features Soleil Ho (Berkeley’s Coyote Media Collective), Jenn Lui, Alan Chen and Eman Garcia (co-founders of Oakland’s 13 Orphans Restaurant), chef Yuji Ishikata (J-Sei in Emeryville) and Japjot Sethi (from San Jose’s Free Meals on Wheels).
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
The chef’s kitchen is outfitted with Calacatta marble countertops and a large center island.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
Rick Bayless, the James Beard Award-winning chef whose family foundation made the gift, said the project fills a glaring gap in Chicago’s cultural landscape.
—Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for chef
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Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
This collection alone features Soleil Ho (Berkeley’s Coyote Media Collective), Jenn Lui, Alan Chen and Eman Garcia (co-founders of Oakland’s 13 Orphans Restaurant), chef Yuji Ishikata (J-Sei in Emeryville) and Japjot Sethi (from San Jose’s Free Meals on Wheels).
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
The chef’s kitchen is outfitted with Calacatta marble countertops and a large center island.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 8 May 2026
Rick Bayless, the James Beard Award-winning chef whose family foundation made the gift, said the project fills a glaring gap in Chicago’s cultural landscape.
—Eva Remijan-Toba, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for chef
Cite this Entry
“Chef.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chef. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chef
noun1
: a chief cook
2
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