1
as in main
coming before all others in importance
our chief priority this year will be cutting the budget
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in presiding
highest in rank or authority
the chief administrator will be retiring soon
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in body
the main or greater part of something as distinguished from its subordinate parts
the chief of the estate was left to the eldest son
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in leader
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do
our chief is out on a business trip right now
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of chief
Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register.
—Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register, 27 Jan. 2026
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 26 Jan. 2026
Kara Smith, Michael McDonald and Jen Chambers will act as interim chiefs across drama, comedy, and young adult programming while Friedlander finds a new head of drama & comedy series.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chief
Adjective
Davis currently serves as the company’s chief accounting officer and has been with The Trade Desk for nearly 11 years.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register.
—Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register, 27 Jan. 2026
Noun
There are four or five good reasons to take the slow road, Gordon chief among them.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 26 Jan. 2026
Kara Smith, Michael McDonald and Jen Chambers will act as interim chiefs across drama, comedy, and young adult programming while Friedlander finds a new head of drama & comedy series.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chief
Adjective
-
Sami Zayn won a Fatal 4-Way main event for the right to face Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
25 Jan. 2026
-
This could happen especially with more hilly routes or ones not near main roads.—
Chilekasi Adele,
CBS News,
25 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Together, the three systems enable continuous, adaptive whole-body autonomy — allowing humanoid robots to walk, carry, reach, and recover in real time.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Jan. 2026
-
It’s designed to be biocompatible—not harmful to living tissue—though, and to stay in the body for as long as a decade and be reversible at any time with a sodium bicarbonate injection.—
Ana Castelain,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
More than 8,000 volunteers are with the program so far, but leaders have a goal of growing Phambassadors to at least 10,000 people before the year's biggest events.—
Nikki DeMentri,
CBS News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The leader of the Unification Church, also known as the Moonies, which began in South Korea and has spread worldwide, is also on trial over the bribes.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
28 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Live and Let Die also notably broke the color barrier, with Bond’s relationship with a Black woman, Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry), being among the foremost mainstream films to feature an interracial romance.—
Sezin Devi Koehler,
Entertainment Weekly,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Even now the Schrödinger equation remains physicists’ foremost window into the quantum realm.—
Joseph Howlett,
Scientific American,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Mobile units have core tasks of license plate collection and vehicle pattern tracking.—
Asra Q. Nomani , Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The birth of Endeavor startled Hollywood, but Endeavor’s subsequent takeover of powerhouse William Morris shook the town to its core.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Throughout the novel, Nikki works tirelessly to prove herself amongst industry male figureheads who don’t value her voice, personhood, and brilliance, while managing pressure from a boss who isn't her advocate and navigating challenging colleagues steeped in misogyny and who are power-hungry.—
Dominique Fluker,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
The kind of boss who would crawl inside your abdomen instead of turning down the air-conditioning, Bradley suddenly can’t function without Linda.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
26 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
For many people who stream music every day, how artists and rightsholders are paid is not a primary concern.—
Shain Shapiro,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But under California’s top-two primary system, the two candidates with the most votes advance to the November general election regardless of party affiliation.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Year after year Samsung had an increasingly greater, ever-more commanding presence at CES.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
-
Uganda’s longtime President Yoweri Museveni took a commanding lead in early election results as reports of deadly violence emerged following Thursday’s vote.—
Preeti Jha,
semafor.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chief. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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