chiefly

adverb

chief·ly | \ ˈchē-flē

Definition of chiefly

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : most importantly : principally, especially

2 : for the most part : mostly, mainly

chiefly

adjective

Definition of chiefly (Entry 2 of 2)

: of or relating to a chief chiefly duties

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Examples of chiefly in a Sentence

Adverb

our video collection consists chiefly of comedies, but we have a few horror movies

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Skeptics doubt that anything basic has changed and that a regime that has survived chiefly on its ability to threaten Armageddon will be reluctant to give up everything. — David E. Sanger, BostonGlobe.com, "Trump makes a bet on his ‘terrific relationship’ with North Korean leader," 12 June 2018 Last week, both sides began imposing 25% tariffs on $34 billion worth of each other’s products—chiefly Chinese exports of intermediate industrial goods by the U.S. and American farm products by China. — WSJ, "China Plans More Retaliatory Tariffs as Trade Dispute With the U.S. Worsens," 11 July 2018 The rhetoric of the NFFA is just passable enough to seem plausible, chiefly conveyed by actor Patch Darragh as a doughy, duplicitous chief of staff who wears his arrogant privilege like another tacky lapel pin. — Mark Olsen, latimes.com, "Review: 'The First Purge' delivers genre pleasures with a timely message of resilience," 3 July 2018 But the real party — chiefly along E. North Ave., from N. Oakland to N. Prospect avenues, spilling onto Cramer St., Murray Ave. and Farwell Ave. — Chris Foran, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Things to do in Milwaukee this weekend: Summer Soulstice, Greek Fest, Cedarburg's strawberries and more," 21 June 2018 Maryland's firearm prohibitions for domestic violence misdemeanors chiefly apply to handguns, not rifles or shotguns. — refinery29.com, "The Capital Gazette Shooting Is A Tragic Reminder: Take Abuse Of Women Seriously.," 29 June 2018 Its runways are still busy, chiefly because Memphis is home to FedEx, whose purple, orange and white cargo jets roar morning and night through the western Tennessee sky. — New York Times, "The Trouble With the Memphis Airport: No Crowds," 23 May 2018 The new program marks a shift for Garcetti, whose administration has focused chiefly on building housing rather than temporary shelters, an approach backed by many homeless advocacy groups. — Emily Alpert Reyes, latimes.com, "Garcetti heralds L.A.'s progress, touts plan for homeless shelters," 16 Apr. 2018 The principal adults in the story reveal that they are driven chiefly by ignoble motives. — Dan Hofstadter, WSJ, "Longing, Violence and Social Rank," 25 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chiefly.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.