chief

[ cheef ]
/ tʃif /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR chief ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

adjective

highest in rank or authority: the chief priest; the chief administrator.
most important; principal: his chief merit; the chief difficulty.

adverb

Archaic. chiefly; principally.

Idioms for chief

    in chief,
    1. in the chief position; highest in rank (used in combination): editor in chief; commander in chief.
    2. Heraldry. in the upper part of an escutcheon.

Origin of chief

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French chief, chef, Old French chef < Vulgar Latin *capum, re-formation of Latin caput head

synonym study for chief

7. See capital1.

OTHER WORDS FROM chief

chief·less, adjective chief·ship, noun sub·chief, noun un·der·chief, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH chief

chef chief

Words nearby chief

chicom, chicopee, chicory, chicoutimi, chide, chief, chief agglutinin, chief cell, chief constable, chief cook and bottlewasher, chief education officer

Words related to chief

prime, leading, main, preeminent, principal, head, superintendent, ruler, commander, director, manager, supervisor, captain, leader, superior, star, champion, grand, premier, major

Example sentences from the Web for chief

British Dictionary definitions for chief

chief
/ (tʃiːf) /

noun

the head, leader, or most important individual in a group or body of people
another word for chieftain (def. 2)
heraldry the upper third of a shield
in chief primarily; especially

adjective

(prenominal)
  1. most important; principal
  2. highest in rank or authority

adverb

archaic principally

Word Origin for chief

C13: from Old French, from Latin caput head