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

In 2015 Eisenkot was appointed IDF chief of staff after serving as deputy chief of staff (2012–15) to Benny Gantz. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026

Then, on June 26 — one day after Councilmember Vivian Moreno and her chief of staff Gerardo Ramirez attended the committee’s Friends of San Ysidro luncheon — the city’s position shifted again, this time more decisively. — Walker Armstrong, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 July 2026

And then there’s Jordan Wood, a former Capitol Hill chief of staff who ran unsuccessfully for Golden’s open House seat, coming in third. — Philip Elliott, Time, 7 July 2026

Before becoming attorney general, Uthmeier solicited state lobbyists to donate to DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign while also working as the governor’s chief of staff, NBC News reported. — Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 7 July 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