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.
Philly's appointment of its own rat czar follows New York's footsteps. — Joe Brandt, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 Continue reading … EQUAL JUSTICE — Border czar addresses whether Ilhan Omar could be deported amid federal investigation. — FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed the investigation in an interview with Fox News on Monday, but offered few details. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 The search comes nearly a month after White House border czar Tom Homan confirmed a federal criminal investigation involving Omar. — Finya Swai, The Hill, 12 Oct. 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 30 Oct. 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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