variants or less commonly tsar or tzar
Synonyms of czar
1
: emperor
specifically : the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution
2
: one having great power or authority
a banking czar

Examples of czar in a Sentence

a showbiz czar who is said to be able to make or break a career
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 White House has ramped up its public campaign against fraud, including creating the role of fraud czar. Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 22 July 2026 Rookie Carver Willis joins the mix, and Nick Zakelj also has been in the system a few years under offensive line czar Chris Foerster. Cam Inman, Mercury News, 20 July 2026 Outside of the president, no one in Washington has more input in crafting ICE’s strategy than White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, White House border czar Tom Homan, and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Anna Giaritelli, The Washington Examiner, 19 July 2026 Even border czar Tom Homan initially framed the pause not as a retreat from immigration enforcement but as an opportunity to ask basic questions. Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for czar

Word History

Etymology

New Latin czar, from Russian tsar', from Old Russian tsĭsarĭ, from Goth kaisar, from Greek or Latin; Greek, from Latin Caesar — more at caesar

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of czar was in 1555

Cite this Entry

“Czar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/czar. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

czar

noun
variants also tsar or tzar
ˈzär
1
: the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution
2
: one having great power or authority
a baseball czar
czardom noun
also tsardom or tzardom
ˈzärd-əm
Etymology

Latin czar "czar," from Russian tsar' (same meaning), from early Russian tsǐsarǐ, tsěsarǐ "emperor," from a Germanic word kaisar "emperor," derived from Latin Caesar (title of a line of Roman emperors after Augustus Caesar) see Word History at emperor

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