DictionaryAI

chief

CHEEF/t͡ʃiːf/

Noun pluralchiefs

9 meanings of chief

Practice

  1. 1
    principaladjective
    Most important, and coming before all the rest.

    Like the biggest piece of a puzzle: the one that matters most.

    Her chief concern was keeping the children safe.

    Poor planning was the chief cause of the delay.

    UsageComes before a noun: the chief reason.

    Similarmain, principal, primary, foremost, leading

    Oppositeminor, secondary, subordinate, lesser

    Note
  2. 2
    nouncountable
    The person who leads a group, team, or organization.

    Like the captain of a team who makes the final calls.

    The fire chief ordered everyone to evacuate the building.

    Tribal chiefs gathered to negotiate the new treaty.

    UsageOften after another word: fire chief, police chief.

    Similarboss, leader, head, manager, director

    Oppositesubordinate, underling

    Note
  3. 3
    noununcountable
    The state of being the top leader. It is only used in the words "in chief" after a job name.

    The president is also commander in chief of the army.

    At every family barbecue, Dad is the grill master in chief.

    UsageCan be editor in chief or editor-in-chief. More than one: editors in chief.

    Note

Practice

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Origin

This word came through Old French from Latin caput, meaning "head."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts