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
When he was hired by Cleveland, Mr. Stefanski’s initial addition was to make Callie Brownson his chief of staff.
—
Tom Withers, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Nov. 2023
California Fearing bad publicity, LASD covered up case of deputy who knelt on inmate’s head
March 26, 2022
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Both Gascón and his chief of staff, Joseph Iniguez, were present for the meeting and approved of her decision, according to the suit.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
Marc Short, Pence’s longtime chief of staff and a former Trump adviser, has been sharply critical of the former president.
—Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
The cannabis changes pushed by Whitburn and his chief of staff were not approved by the council committee on the day of the hearing back in December 2021, and they have not been adopted since.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2023
Rafael Eitan, the IDF’s chief of staff, and Ariel Sharon, the defense minister, were particularly belligerent, pushing for the military to move far deeper into Lebanese territory than planned.
—Sarah E. Parkinson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2023
His most recent role was serving as deputy chief of staff and military veteran liaison for the USDA.
—Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, 9 Nov. 2023
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday appointed Carolyn Webb de Macias as chief of staff, succeeding Chris Thompson, who held the powerful post for less than a year.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023
In March 2021, Bradsher was named chief of staff for veterans affairs under Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2023
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Tom Withers, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Nov. 2023
California Fearing bad publicity, LASD covered up case of deputy who knelt on inmate’s head
March 26, 2022
Advertisement
Both Gascón and his chief of staff, Joseph Iniguez, were present for the meeting and approved of her decision, according to the suit.
—James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 20 Nov. 2023
Marc Short, Pence’s longtime chief of staff and a former Trump adviser, has been sharply critical of the former president.
—Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023
The cannabis changes pushed by Whitburn and his chief of staff were not approved by the council committee on the day of the hearing back in December 2021, and they have not been adopted since.
—Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2023
Rafael Eitan, the IDF’s chief of staff, and Ariel Sharon, the defense minister, were particularly belligerent, pushing for the military to move far deeper into Lebanese territory than planned.
—Sarah E. Parkinson, Foreign Affairs, 14 Nov. 2023
His most recent role was serving as deputy chief of staff and military veteran liaison for the USDA.
—Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, 9 Nov. 2023
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Tuesday appointed Carolyn Webb de Macias as chief of staff, succeeding Chris Thompson, who held the powerful post for less than a year.
—Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023
In March 2021, Bradsher was named chief of staff for veterans affairs under Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 13 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chief of staff.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near chief of staff
Cite this Entry
“Chief of staff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief%20of%20staff. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
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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
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