1
: accorded highest rank or office
chief librarian
the company's chief executive
2
: of greatest importance or influence
the chief reasons
their chief accomplishment
1
: the upper part of a heraldic field
2
: the head of a body of persons or an organization : leader
chief of police
3
: the principal or most valuable part
would never rest till she had read the chief of the letter to him—
Jane Austen
Jane AustenExamples of chief in a Sentence
Adjective
the chief engineer on the project
Her job is their chief source of income.
He has many concerns, chief among them his health.
Noun
the chief of the estate was left to the eldest son
our chief is out on a business trip right now
Recent Examples on the Web
Emma Green, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Before his stint in New York, Mengelberg became the youngest chief conductor of the city’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1895, when he was appointed at 24.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Ben Sales, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2025
Ultimately, that puts the financial burden on just a handful of franchises, with the Knicks chief among them.
—Mike Vorkunov, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chief
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Adjective
Kathryn Bond Stockton, a professor of English and critical theory, helped to create Transform and served as the chief diversity officer for the U’s main campus.
—Emma Green, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
Before his stint in New York, Mengelberg became the youngest chief conductor of the city’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1895, when he was appointed at 24.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
Noun
In a shocking report published March 24, Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of the Atlantic, revealed that he was accidentally added to a group chat in which very senior government officials planned a strike on the Houthi terror group in Yemen earlier this month.
—Ben Sales, Sun Sentinel, 25 Mar. 2025
Ultimately, that puts the financial burden on just a handful of franchises, with the Knicks chief among them.
—Mike Vorkunov, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chief
Cite this Entry
“Chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
chief
2 of 2 noun
: the head of a group : leader
chief of police
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