commander in chief

noun phrase

: one who holds the supreme command of an armed force

Examples of commander in chief in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The 44th commander in chief’s office debunked the claim that an intelligence report released last week by Trump Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard somehow amounts to new evidence against Obama or losing 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 July 2025 Though Obama was a vocal critic of Trump throughout the 2024 campaign, making multiple appearances in support of both former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris, the 63-year-old former commander in chief has largely avoided commenting on Trump’s performance back in office. Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 22 July 2025 Over the last few years, Trump, once a crypto skeptic, has begun to tout himself as the most crypto-friendly commander in chief in U.S. history, and pushed for Congress to take up the issue on the campaign trail. Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 18 July 2025 Tasnim, the state media arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), reported that Hossein Salami, the commander in chief of the IRGC, was also killed in an attack at the Tehran headquarters. Courtney Kube, NBC news, 13 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for commander in chief

Word History

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of commander in chief was in 1654

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Cite this Entry

“Commander in chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commander%20in%20chief. Accessed 27 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

commander in chief

: one who holds the supreme command of an armed force

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