chief justice

noun

: the presiding or principal judge of a court of justice

Examples of chief justice in a Sentence

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.
The chief justices of some states, including California and Washington, asked ICE to stop, saying fear of arrest would keep crime victims and witnesses from showing up in court. Gene Johnson and Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025 The chief justice did not appear to say anything in response. Zach Schonfeld, The Hill, 23 Mar. 2025 Plus what the Supreme Court chief justice's rebuke of Trump this week tells us about a showdown in the courts, and as sextortion grows in the US, so does the prevalence of individuals or companies that charge to retrieve explicit photos and then may fail to do so. Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 20 Mar. 2025 The chief justice issued a brief administrative last Wednesday — with a midnight deadline for foreign aid payments approaching — before the full court acted on President Trump's bid for emergency relief. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chief justice

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chief justice was in 1534

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chief justice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief%20justice. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

chief justice

noun
: the presiding or principal judge of a court of justice

Legal Definition

chief justice

noun
: a chief judge of a usually higher level court
specifically, often capitalized : the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
chief justiceship noun

More from Merriam-Webster on chief justice

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!