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
Jared Perlo, NBC news, 7 Apr. 2026
Ryan Dullea, chief growth officer at multinational consumer goods company Reckitt, agrees.
—Francesca Cassidy, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Billionaire Meg Whitman, the former eBay chief and formerly a longtime Republican donor, spent $144 million of her money on her 2010 gubernatorial bid.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chief
Adjective
And on Friday, GitHub’s chief operating officer said overall platform activity in 2026 is roughly on pace to surge 14 times above 2025 levels.
—Jared Perlo, NBC news, 7 Apr. 2026
Ryan Dullea, chief growth officer at multinational consumer goods company Reckitt, agrees.
—Francesca Cassidy, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
Last September, in a hearing to discuss the critical audit of Cal-OSHA, Ortega grilled Cal-OSHA’s chief Debra Lee.
—Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 6 Apr. 2026
Billionaire Meg Whitman, the former eBay chief and formerly a longtime Republican donor, spent $144 million of her money on her 2010 gubernatorial bid.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for chief
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chief
Adjective
-
Shuttle services have been arranged to transport journalists between the media center and a hotel in the city’s main shopping mall.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
But the leak appeared to get worse when the service module fired its main engine for the translunar injection burn on Day 2 of the flight, according to Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s associate administrator.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But like so many of his teammates, his body finally told him his season had to finish early.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Independence voters selected Cody Atkinson and Jackie Dorman in Tuesday’s election to join the seven-seat body, which includes six council members and the mayor.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The city’s been the leader in that area for almost a year.—
Desiree Mathurin
April 8,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The Hickman Mills School District is currently about $14 million in debt, a figure which district leaders attribute partly to financial mismanagement and partly to recent changes to the Jackson County property tax assessment cycle.—
Ilana Arougheti,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The filmmaking team that has worked on the last nine or 10 Saw films did an extraordinary job, [and] James Wan has become one of the foremost filmmakers in that space since working on [the first] Saw.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Apr. 2026
-
And of course, the foremost reason is nobody could image into the brain before, until photon microscopy became available.—
Amanda Erickson,
STAT,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That series ended with a ruptured Achilles for superstar forward Jayson Tatum, and a battering ram taken to the extremities of a Celtics core that had claimed an NBA title just a season prior.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
If the core isn’t doing the work, the body will compensate in other ways.—
Ronnie Koenig,
SELF,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Yesterday, Melvin Benn, the boss of Wireless parent Festival Republic, released a statement standing by the booking and advocating for forgiveness of Ye.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Coaching, mentorship, and hands-on development—the soft infrastructure that has historically built management pipelines and transmitted institutional knowledge from one generation to the next—are the first casualties when a single boss is stretched across 12 people rather than six.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Wolves expect to challenge for Porter County Conference and postseason titles, and Powell is prepared to be a primary contributor.—
Michael Osipoff,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Industry leaders said some migrant workers employed by the textile companies were struggling to secure liquified petroleum gas, the primary cooking fuel.—
Priyanka Salve,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Raman had a commanding lead in a field of five major candidates, with 33% of voters supporting her, while Bass trailed at 17%.—
Carlos De Loera,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
-
At 132 feet, the 40P is larger and more commanding, offering additional space and slightly flashier features.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chief. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
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