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
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 June 2026
Delrahim joined as Paramount’s chief legal counsel in October 2025.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 2 June 2026
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Read the full Fortune feature to see how these finance chiefs are navigating one of the most consequential capital cycles in tech history.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for chief
Adjective
Anchor and chief data reporter Ali Velshi will break down the results.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 June 2026
Delrahim joined as Paramount’s chief legal counsel in October 2025.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 2 June 2026
Noun
Away from the press conference, Akbar Yusupov, editor-in-chief at the English-language newspaper The Tashkent Times, said there was strong support for Cannavaro but also expectations of doing well at the World Cup.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Read the full Fortune feature to see how these finance chiefs are navigating one of the most consequential capital cycles in tech history.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 1 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for chief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chief
Adjective
-
Dylan Redford, who serves as co-creator, director, editor, cinematographer, production sound mixer, main title editor and motion design director on the series, is the grandson of the late Robert Redford, the Oscar-winning actor and Sundance Film Festival founder who died last year at 89.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
30 May 2026
-
Entergy New Orleans, the city’s main electric utility, has an accelerated grid-hardening plan that aims to replace existing utility poles with more fortified poles to withstand higher winds and selectively move some lines underground in high-risk areas.—
Sufan Jiang,
Fortune,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Common symptoms include a fever, chills, fatigue, headache, body aches, chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath and airway irritation.—
Ryan Brennan
June 2,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
-
Treatments range from Chinese-inspired, correcting the flow of qi within the body, to Ayurvedic, rooted in India’s most ancient healing science.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
The playoff leader in goals, Howden had a beautiful tip on a shot by Theodore for his 11th of the playoffs and perhaps his most important in Game 1.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
-
In 1940, French President General Charles de Gaulle checked in to conduct war meetings with US and British leaders.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Silverman, who leads one of the world’s foremost corporate investigations and risk advisory firms, calls that a category error.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
1 June 2026
-
Karen Martin, a professor of biology at Pepperdine University and foremost expert on the creatures, will be in attendance, as will retired State Parks ranger Jim Serpa, who ran the program for three decades and helped resurrect it a few years ago.—
Laylan Connelly,
Oc Register,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
And his age fits perfectly with the Sabres’ core.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
At its core, KYA focuses on making sure there’s a verified bond between an AI agent and a real human user.—
Andrew Sever,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Assuming, of course, those staffers don’t emulate Pelley and strongly and sharply disagree or challenge their boss in an internal staff meeting.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
-
The space includes table football, board and video games, and staff can arrange certain special activities of which the parents of the youngsters involved might be more than a little jealous, among them sushi masterclasses with Mitsuru Tsukada, the boss of Izumi.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
Adjective
-
California’s June 2nd primary election is just around the corner.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
In the primary suite, a vaulted ceiling with a skylight let's in even more Southern California sunshine.—
Christopher Edwards,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Ellis is the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Fort Carson in Colorado.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
28 May 2026
-
Before the splitting of the Bronx into two commands, for the last three years Gurley was the commanding officer of Patrol Borough Bronx, overseeing the entire borough.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chief. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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