czar

noun

ˈzär  ˈ(t)sär 

variants or less commonly tsar or tzar

1

: emperor

specifically : the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution

2

: one having great power or authority

a banking czar

czardom

ˈzär-dəm  ˈ(t)sär- 

noun

or less commonly tsardom or tzardom

Synonyms of czar

• magnate
• tycoon
• king

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

Behind the scenes, work toward resolving the standoff intensified Friday as White House border czar Tom Homan was set to meet for the second consecutive day with a bipartisan group of senators. —Arkansas Online, 21 Mar. 2026

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, took control of the enforcement surge in Minneapolis and dramatically reduced staffing there. —Bart Jansen, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026

That order directed David Sacks, the White House’s AI czar, and Michael Kratsios, director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to create Friday’s draft framework. —Jared Perlo, NBC news, 20 Mar. 2026

The czar, goaded by his military advisors, mobilized the Russian army knowing that meant war. —Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for czar

• ar
• are
• bar
• barr
• car
• carr
• char
• charr
• far
• farre
• haar
• har

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