chief of staff

noun phrase

1

: the ranking officer of a staff in the armed forces serving as principal adviser to a commander

2

: the ranking officer of the army or air force and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Examples of chief of staff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Villaraigosa also attacked Becerra, linking him with a pay scandal involving his former chief of staff, who plead guilty last year to a count of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 5 May 2026

The indictment alleges the scheme was designed to pad the salary of Becerra’s chief of staff when Becerra was serving as the federal health secretary. —ABC News, 5 May 2026

Trump’s second term has proved so radical that officials from his first Administration—including a former chief of staff and a former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—have referred to him as a fascist. —Peter Slevin, New Yorker, 4 May 2026

Soon after her chief of staff reached out in January, Lechowicz Felicione contacted the sheriff and state’s attorney for guidance. —A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chief of staff

• autograph
• biograph
• cenotaph
• chronograph
• epigraph
• epitaph
• hodograph
• holograph
• hydrograph
• lithograph
• micrograph
• monograph

Kids Definition

chief of staff

1

: the ranking officer of a staff in the armed forces who advises a commander

2

: the ranking officer of the army or air force