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

Cheney eventually rose to be Ford’s White House chief of staff, was elected as Wyoming’s only Congressman, and served as Secretary of Defense during the Persian Gulf War in the early 1990s. —Brian Bennett, Time, 5 Nov. 2025

In an interview with Politico on Wednesday, White House deputy chief of staff James Blair said Trump would focus on affordability in the future. —Julia Manchester, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2025

The suit also names White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, along with the offices for president and vice president. —NPR, 5 Nov. 2025

In late 1975, Cheney succeeded Rumsfeld as White House chief of staff after Rumsfeld was appointed Secretary of Defense. —Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025

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