Meanings
- Executive, the highest in command.
- humorousThe chief example; the worst offender.
No, it can't be Bill who gets assigned to this task. That dude is the slacker in chief around here.
- governmentUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see in, chief. In the chief of the escutcheon.
Erm. a fesse betw. two demi lions in chief and three mascles in base gu.
1844, John Burke, Bernard Burke, Encyclopædia of Heraldry, Or General Armory of England, Scotland and Ireland, page 3751 more example
Arg. a saltire betw. a cross-gate in chief and in base and a crescent in each flank gu. / HEGENS, Scotland. Arg. a saltire engr. betw. a mullet in chief two crescents in flanks and a cross crosslet fitchy in base gu.
1874, John Woody Papworth, An Alphabetical Dictionary of Coats of Arms Belonging to Families in Great Britain and Ireland: Forming an Extensive Ordinary of British Armorials : Upon an Entirely New Plan ..., page 1070
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with in chief
Cite this entry
in chief. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20chief
“in chief.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20chief. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in chief,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20chief.
Source: in chief on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.