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

Martin previously held the role of chief of staff for three years and will continue to serve as a senior member of Cinema United’s leadership team. — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026

Lloyd started at the public schools in January 2022 under former Chancellor David Banks, first as his top deputy for family engagement and external affairs, before shifting ahead of the 2024-25 school year to his chief of staff. — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 28 Sep. 2026

Bessent is on his third chief of staff since becoming Treasury secretary in January 2025. — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026

The grand jury found that the ultimate destination for nearly all of the $10 million was the PAC set up by the governor and his then-chief of staff, James Uthmeier. — Jim Defede, CBS News, 27 Sep. 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