1
: accorded highest rank or office
chief librarian
the company's chief executive
2
: of greatest importance or influence
the chief reasons
their chief accomplishment
1
: the upper part of a heraldic field
2
: the head of a body of persons or an organization : leader
chief of police
3
: the principal or most valuable part
… would never rest till she had read the chief of the letter to him …—
Jane Austen
Jane Austen
see also:
Examples of chief in a Sentence
Adjective
the chief engineer on the project
Her job is their chief source of income.
He has many concerns, chief among them his health.
Noun
the chief of the estate was left to the eldest son
our chief is out on a business trip right now
Recent Examples on the Web
Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Griffin’s chief operating officer, Gerald Beeson, suggested in no uncertain terms that the mayor had put at risk a planned Citadel redevelopment of 350 Park Ave.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Clayton Davis, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
Though the drone attack did not result in any apparent leak of radiation, the incident showed how the war has upended assumptions about nuclear safety, said Solonenko, the radiation safety shift chief.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chief
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Adjective
Among the major threats to Rocha Moya’s political survival was the outcry about the 2024 shooting death of his one-time chief political rival, Héctor Melesio Cuén Ojeda, a former lawmaker and university rector.
—Steve Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Griffin’s chief operating officer, Gerald Beeson, suggested in no uncertain terms that the mayor had put at risk a planned Citadel redevelopment of 350 Park Ave.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 26 Apr. 2026
Noun
KeiLyn Durrel Jones, as security chief Bill Bray, is a quiet, commanding presence.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
Though the drone attack did not result in any apparent leak of radiation, the incident showed how the war has upended assumptions about nuclear safety, said Solonenko, the radiation safety shift chief.
—Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 25 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chief
Cite this Entry
“Chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief. Accessed 28 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chief
2 of 2 noun
: the head of a group : leader
chief of police
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