1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

jefe

noun

ˈhā-(ˌ)fā How to pronounce jefe (audio)
Definition of jefenext
as in boss
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do Everyone knows that the real jefe of that football team is the quarterback and not the coach.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of jefe On Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium the league’s true jefe, Patrick Mahomes, returns from a lost season and torn ACL to quarterback the Kansas City Chiefs in an early test against the Broncos, their AFC West rivals. — Michael Silver, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 The tortilla had no flavor; the tostada which supposedly offers textural counterpoint — the whole idea, according to its advocates, like Times newsletter jefe Karim Doumar — was soggy. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 June 2025 Learn more The other jefe Raúl headed the Cuban Army for decades, and under his watch the military control over the economy expanded. — Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2025 Los Tigres del Norte Leave it to Los Tigres del Norte’s power anthem to get everyone on the dance floor feeling like a jefe (boss). — Billboard Staff, Billboard, 4 May 2022 In an end-of-year address posted online, the ELN’s jefe máximo, who goes by the alias Gabino, promised to continue negotiations even if hostilities resumed. — Maximo Anderson, Bloomberg.com, 10 Jan. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jefe
  1. boss
  2. foreman
  3. leader
  4. chief
  5. commander
  6. captain
  7. manager
Noun
  • Discord reigned in the intensifying debate over AI safety regulation, with tech bosses taking opposing stances and government leaders sharing little common ground.
    — Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • As the videos fly by, Alex’s phone suddenly displays a furious message from her boss.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of boss
Noun
  • The Nepal Electricity Authority named the two men who were rescued alive as 30-year-old Sanjay Sah, a mechanical foreman from Saptari district in eastern Nepal, and Kabir Maharjan, 45, a mechanical supervisor from Kathmandu.
    — Bhadra Sharma, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Officials identified them as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor at the Trishuli 3A plant.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of foreman
Noun
  • There are also higher-order issues that Fortune 500 leaders must consider.
    — Kamal Ahmed, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Many tech leaders generally say their goal is to develop the technology in ways that promote safety, address legal liability, feed economic growth, advance science and preserve national security.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of leader
Noun
  • The court had unsealed an arrest warrant for Ronald Marapon dela Rosa, who served as national police chief under Duterte.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Authored by Wall Street Journal reporter Robbie Whelan, THR hears that among the topics set to be covered will be Iger’s friendship-turned-rivalry with former Marvel chief Ike Perlmutter.
    — Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of chief
Noun
  • The Pentagon’s 2027 budget requests nearly $75 million to modernize and incorporate AI into systems that help commanders manage forces and make battlefield decisions.
    — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Logistics is key Getting more aircraft out of maintenance therefore gives commanders a larger usable force without actually buying any additional B-52s.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of commander
Noun
  • Fellow team captain Cam Bynum, however, took full responsibility.
    — James Boyd, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The easy thing as a captain of this team, we all are built like that.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of captain
Noun
  • Between 26 and 35 vessels per day have transited this week, down from the 35 to 40 daily average of the prior eight weeks, according to Dimitris Ampatzidis, maritime risk and compliance manager at Kpler.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Young texted the Triple-A manager on his way out of Wrigley Field, asking to be put in the lineup that night.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of manager

Browse Nearby Words

jeers
jefe
jefes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jefe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jefe. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of volition

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All