1
: most importantly : principally, especially
Examples of chiefly in a Sentence
Adverb
our video collection consists chiefly of comedies, but we have a few horror movies
Recent Examples on the Web
Cat Wang, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
The legislation chiefly extends Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which were set to expire this year, and provides new perks for working-class Americans while restoring full tax incentives for business capital investment.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 11 July 2025
MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Many Europeans, chiefly men of French heritage, lived in the region outside those places.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for chiefly
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Adverb
Founded in 2004, UTEC is one of Japan’s largest deep-tech VCs, with a portfolio spanning more than 150 companies, chiefly originated from or backed by academic institutions.
—Cat Wang, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
The legislation chiefly extends Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, which were set to expire this year, and provides new perks for working-class Americans while restoring full tax incentives for business capital investment.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 11 July 2025
Adjective
Our own arcane and slow processes are chiefly to blame.
—MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Many Europeans, chiefly men of French heritage, lived in the region outside those places.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for chiefly
Cite this Entry
“Chiefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chiefly. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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