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

Border czar Tom Homan, the new leader of Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota, promised last week to focus their attention away from protesters and back onto immigrants – especially those with criminal records. —Andy Rose, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026

Border czar Tom Homan said a drawdown in federal agents will happen when more Minnesota counties cooperate and if people stop interfering with federal agents. —Ashley Grams, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026

Border czar Tom Homan announced a drawdown of 700 immigration officers from Minneapolis and said further reductions are possible if state and local officials continue cooperating with efforts to nab criminals. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026

White House border czar Tom Homan speaks Wednesday at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. —Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 4 Feb. 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