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

To make sure everyone is on the same page, the Dropbox co-CEO shares his key priorities with his circle, chief of staff, and administrative team. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 18 Aug. 2026

Rahm Emanuel, a former congressman, White House chief of staff and mayor of Chicago, made a stop at Tel Aviv University in July to excoriate Netanyahu for turning Israel into an international outcast. — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 18 Aug. 2026

Shannon Ramsey-Chessman, the current chief of staff and deputy chief clerk, was sworn in as interim Clerk of Court on Tuesday morning. — Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 18 Aug. 2026

Democrats are considering competing for the seat, which Trump won by 13 points, if Mills wins the primary and their voters nominate former NASA chief of staff Bale Dalton. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 18 Aug. 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