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

Parker, who serves as the chief of staff at Cook Children’s Hospital, has filed a conflict of interest form disclosing her employment and regularly recuses herself from votes involving city business with the hospital network. —Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2026

Hill became superintendent in July 2023 after a stretch as the district’s interim superintendent and chief of staff. —Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2026

Chuy García’s stunt on behalf of his chief of staff has backfired insofar as there are multiple candidates running for the seat in November. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2026

One investigation is connected to the prosecution of Dana Williamson, Newsom’s former chief of staff who pleaded guilty to fraud and lying to the FBI last month. —Haley Parsley, Sacbee.com, 16 June 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