The chief of an organization is the person who is in charge of it.
...a commission appointed by the police chief.
...Putin's chief of security. [+ of]
2. countable noun & title noun
The chief of a tribe is its leader.
...Sitting Bull, chief of the Sioux tribes of the Great Plains. [+ of]
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Chief is used in the job titles of the most senior worker or workers of a particular kind in an organization.
...the chief test pilot.
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
The chief cause, part, or member of something is the most important one.
Financial stress is well established as a chief reason for divorce.
The job went to one of his chief rivals.
Synonyms: primary, highest, leading, main More Synonyms of chief
More Synonyms of chief
chief in British English
(tʃiːf)
noun
1.
the head, leader, or most important individual in a group or body of people
2. another word for chieftain (sense 2)
3. heraldry
the upper third of a shield
4. in chief
adjective
5. (prenominal)
a.
most important; principal
b.
highest in rank or authority
adverb
6. archaic
principally
Word origin
C13: from Old French, from Latin caput head
chief in American English
(tʃif)
noun
1.
the head or leader of a group, organization, etc.; person of highest title or authority
2. Archaic
the most valuable or main part of anything
3. Heraldry
the upper third of a shield
4. [usuallyC-]; Nautical
a chief engineer or chief petty officer
adjective
5.
highest, as in rank or office; foremost
the chief magistrate
6.
most important or significant; main; principal
the chief advantages
adverb
7. Archaic
chiefly
Idioms:
in chief
SYNONYMY NOTE: chief is applied to the person or thing first in rank, authority, importance, etc., andusually connotes subordination of all others [his chief problem was getting a job]; UNRESOLVED CROSS REF is applied to the person who directs or controls others [a principal clerk] or to the thing or person having precedence over all others by reason of size, position,importance, etc. [the principal products of Africa]; main, in strict usage, is applied to the thing, often part of a system or an extensivewhole, that is preeminent in size, power, importance, etc. [the main line of a railroad]; lead1 verb transitive stresses capacity for guiding, conducting, or drawing others [a leading light, question, etc.]; foremost suggests a being first by having moved ahead to that position [the foremost statesman of our time]; capital1 is applied to that which is ranked at the head of its kind or class because of itsimportance or its special significance [the capital city]
OPPOSITES: subordinate, subservient
Derived forms
chiefdom (ˈchiefdom)
noun
Word origin
ME chef, chief, leader < OFr < VL *capum < L caput, head
COBUILD Collocations
chief
council chief
health chief
Examples of 'chief' in a sentence
chief
Highly respected, he was tipped at one point to become lord chief justice.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
In only two and half days, chief executives clock up the average annual wage.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Yet one quango chief picked up 50,000 this year.
The Sun (2016)
EUROPEAN football chiefs are heading for war.
The Sun (2016)
The chief medical officer said she had no plans to stop working and urged others to follow suit if they want to boost their life expectancy.
The Sun (2016)
COLD calls offering investment opportunities should be banned because they are always scams, the police chief in charge of tackling financial fraud warns today.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This alliance had as its chief purpose heading off popular resistance movements.
Henry, John F The Making of Neoclassical Economics (1990)
The district police chief was also hurt in the attack.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The chief medical officer says action is needed because there are not enough new antibiotics becoming available.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The chief reason for this devaluation is the individualism of most evangelicals.
Christianity Today (2000)
Two men have made rival claims to the lucrative and powerful post of village chief.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It was the chief opposition group still in business.
Hebblethwaite, Peter Paul VI - The First Modern Pope (1993)
An airport security chief deplored the fact that warnings before the attack had not been acted upon.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
He mixes easily with the most powerful world leaders and business chiefs.
The Sun (2008)
The chiefs of the tribes are only local chiefs.
Sanderson, Stephen K. Macrosociology: An Introduction to Human Societies (1995)
He is one of the head chief of all tribes in this country.
Harris, Marvin Cultural Anthropology (1995)
The best police chiefs will no doubt step up to the financial challenge with flair and imagination.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
The chief reasons why it so profoundly needs to reform are precisely the reasons why it will not.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
To my mind the uncertainty over the management of the school has been one of the chief contributors to its downgrading.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It was perhaps one of the most dramatic and difficult health concerns to cross the path of a chief medical officer.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In boardrooms up and down the country, chief executives face shareholder pressure for salary restraint.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
When subsequently it was suspended, pilots gave the chief executive a vote of no confidence.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
I was only just in the job and we had a new chief executive as well.
The Sun (2014)
If you take the job and your chief emotion is fear of failure you're halfway to losing already.
The Sun (2014)
The Etihad chief has taken charge of just two friendlies and still does not have allhis squad together.
The Sun (2016)
Most people have been priced out of the civil courts and have to represent themselves, the lord chief justice said yesterday.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
They also agreed to cut his pay to reflect the fact that he will just be chairman, and not chief executive as well.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Word lists with
chief
heraldry, Titles of rulers
In other languages
chief
British English: chief /tʃiːf/ ADJECTIVE
Chief is used in the job titles of the most senior worker or workers of a particular kind in an organization.
...the chief test pilot.
American English: chief
Arabic: رَئِيسيّ
Brazilian Portuguese: chefe
Chinese: 首要的
Croatian: glavni
Czech: hlavní
Danish: ledende
Dutch: voornaamst
European Spanish: jefe
Finnish: pää-
French: principal plus important
German: wichtigster
Greek: κύριος
Italian: capo
Japanese: 主要な
Korean: 제1의
Norwegian: sjefs-
Polish: główny naczelny
European Portuguese: chefe
Romanian: șef
Russian: старший
Latin American Spanish: en jefe
Swedish: huvud-
Thai: สำคัญ
Turkish: baş
Ukrainian: головний
Vietnamese: trưởng
British English: chief /tʃiːf/ NOUN
The chief of an organization or department is its leader or the person in charge of it.
...the police chief.
American English: chief
Arabic: رَئِيس
Brazilian Portuguese: chefe
Chinese: 首领
Croatian: šef
Czech: vedoucí
Danish: chef
Dutch: leider
European Spanish: jefe
Finnish: päällikkö
French: chef patron
German: Oberhaupt
Greek: αρχηγός
Italian: capo
Japanese: ･･･長 統率
Korean: 우두머리
Norwegian: leder
Polish: szef
European Portuguese: chefe
Romanian: șef
Russian: руководитель
Latin American Spanish: jefe
Swedish: ledare
Thai: ผู้นำ
Turkish: şef
Ukrainian: керівник
Vietnamese: người đứng đầu
All related terms of 'chief'
big Chief
an important person, boss , or leader
in chief
primarily ; especially
Chief Rabbi
the chief religious minister of a national Jewish community
chief town
a town or city that is the administrative centre of a region
chief whip
the highest-ranking or principal whip in a legislature or parliamaent
fire chief
the person in charge of the fire department of a town
chief justice
A Chief Justice is the most important judge of a court of law , especially a supreme court.
chief priest
the highest ranking among a number of priests
council chief
The chief of an organization is the person who is in charge of it.
health chief
The chief of an organization is the person who is in charge of it.
police chief
a police officer with the highest rank or authority in a city, town, etc
chief assistant
the most important or top-ranking assistant to an official
chief constable
A Chief Constable is the officer who is in charge of the police force in a particular county or area in Britain.
chief engineer
the senior engineer on board a ship
chief executive
the person with overall responsibility for the efficient running of a company, organization, etc
chief inspector
an officer of high rank in British police forces
Chief Secretary
(in Britain) the second most senior Treasury post, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chief of Staff
The Chiefs of Staff are the most senior officers in each service of the armed forces.
chief of state
the leader of a country, such as a president, king or queen
chief technician
a noncommissioned officer in the Royal Air Force junior to a flight sergeant
air chief marshal
a senior officer of the Royal Air Force and certain other air forces, of equivalent rank to admiral in the Royal Navy
big White Chief
an important person, boss , or leader
chief of police
(in the US) the head of a regional or municipal police department
chief superintendent
an officer of senior rank in a British police force or other similarly organized force
commander in chief
A commander-in-chief is a senior officer who is in charge of all the forces in a particular area.
editor in chief
the controlling editor of a publication
examine-in-chief
to examine (one's own witness ) in attempting to adduce a case
Lord Chief Justice
(in England and Wales ) the highest law officer of the Crown , responsible for the functioning and independence of the courts, and formerly presiding over the Court of Appeal , House of Lords , and the Chancery Division
tenant-in-chief
(in feudal society ) a tenant who held some or all of his lands directly from the king
first mate
an officer second in command to the captain of a merchant ship
chief master sergeant
a solider of the highest enlisted rank in the US Air Force
chief petty officer
the senior naval rank for personnel without commissioned or warrant rank
chief warrant officer
a senior-ranking warrant officer in various armed forces
commanders in chief
the officer holding supreme command of the forces in an area or operation
examinations-in-chief
to examine (one's own witness ) in attempting to adduce a case
chief academic officer
an official in a university, college , or medical school who usually reports directly to the president, chancellor , rector , or vice chancellor
Chief Education Officer
an official who is the chief administrative officer of a Local Education Authority
chief executive officer
The chief executive officer of a company is the person who has overall responsibility for the management of that company. The abbreviation → CEO is often used.
chief operating officer
the executive in charge of day-to-day operations in an organization
detective chief inspector
a police officer who investigates crime and who ranks above a detective inspector but below a detective superintendent
fleet chief petty officer
a noncommissioned officer in the Royal Navy comparable in rank to a warrant officer in the British Army or Royal Air Force
chief inspector of schools
a high-ranking official of the British government who is responsible for overseeing the quality of education
chief state school officer
( in a US state and some other US jurisdictions ) an official who heads a department of elementary or secondary education
detective chief superintendent
a police officer who investigates crime and who ranks above a detective superintendent but below an assistant chief constable
Lord Chief Justice of England
(in England and Wales ) the highest law officer of the Crown , responsible for the functioning and independence of the courts, and formerly presiding over the Court of Appeal , House of Lords , and the Chancery Division
master chief petty officer
the senior rank in the US Navy for noncommissioned personnel
senior chief petty officer
a noncommissioned officer ranking above a chief petty officer and below a master chief petty officer
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
(in Britain) the second most senior Treasury post, after the Chancellor of the Exchequer