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

Johnson also pointed to the work of border czar Tom Homan in de-escalating tensions in Minneapolis, where anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement demonstrators protested following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good at the hands of immigration officers. —Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 10 Mar. 2026

The only Jewish state czar, Stefan Hensel of Hamburg, resigned at the end of 2025. —Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026

Hernandez says that after border czar Tom Homan announced a drawdown in federal agents, the support he's relied on and been grateful for has slowed down. —Frankie McLister, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026

In late January, the president put border czar Tom Homan in charge of the crackdown, effectively demoting the Border Patrol’s Greg Bovino. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 6 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