chain of commandnoun [ C ]
uk/ˈtʃeɪn əv kəˈmɑːnd/us/ˈtʃeɪn əv kəˈmænd/the way that people with authority in an organization, especially in the military, are ranked, from the person with the most authority to the next one below, and so on
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Giving orders & commands
- all-points bulletin
- behest
- boss
- bossyboots
- charge
- crack the whip idiom
- defy
- demand
- dun
- enjoin
- expect
- forget
- harry
- lay down the law idiom
- mandate
- order sb around
- overbearing
- prescribed
- push sb around
- steamroller
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Examples from literature
- At night time, round the hearth fire, when the roaring logs set the shadows dancing on the rough-timbered floor, the truncheon and chain of command are pompously transferred to the new Grand Master.