chef

noun

ˈshef How to pronounce chef (audio)
plural chefs
Synonyms of chef
1
: a skilled professional cook
a trained chef
specifically : one who is in charge of a professional kitchen
I wrote to the chef of an acclaimed New American restaurant on the Upper East Side about my food experiences. He invited me to spend a few days in the kitchen on a trial basis. —Adam Shatz
2
: cook
chef intransitive verb
chefdom
ˈshef-dəm How to pronounce chef (audio)
noun

Synonyms of chef

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of chef in a Sentence

The hotel's chef trained at the finest culinary institutes in Europe. He's the head chef at a five-star restaurant. a celebrity chef with her own TV show My friend is an excellent chef.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Some chefs argue there’s a time and place for it, as in more casual settings like breakfast joints or taverns. — Maggie Hennessy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 At Ziya, the contemporary Indian fine dining restaurant, renowned chef Vineet Bhatia’s wizardry is evident in tasting menus that reinterpret regional flavours from around the country in exciting new formats. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026 The home has an entrance with a stenciled wood floor, two formal sitting rooms, a dining room with a chandelier and window seat, and a chef’s kitchen that steps down to a family room with a fireplace. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 31 Aug. 2026 The chef revealed to PEOPLE in January that Jade is attending New York University. — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chef

Word History

Etymology

French, short for chef de cuisine head of the kitchen

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chef was in 1826

Phrases Containing chef

Rhymes for chef

See All Rhymes for chef

Browse Nearby Words

cheewink
chef
chef's kiss
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chef.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chef. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All