chief of staff

noun phrase

1
: the ranking officer of a staff in the armed forces serving as principal adviser to a commander
2
: the ranking officer of the army or air force and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Examples of chief of staff in a Sentence

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.
Redwood founder Evan Corder is Bonta’s former legislative director and chief of staff, according to the group’s website. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 25 Aug. 2026 Some top White House officials, including chief of staff Susie Wiles, reportedly found the letters confounding. — Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Aug. 2026 After 25 minutes of shooting the stuff with Gutekunst, LaFleur’s chief of staff Darryl Franklin and Koonz, a period in which something Achord said made Gutekunst literally keel over in laughter, the double horn sounds to end practice. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Costa served as a campaign advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, and was later the chief of staff to first lady, Brigitte Macron from 2017–2022. — News Desk, Artforum, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chief of staff

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chief of staff was in 1862

Rhymes for chief of staff

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Browse Nearby Words

chief of police
chief of staff
chief of state
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Cite this Entry

“Chief of staff.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief%20of%20staff. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

chief of staff

1
: the ranking officer of a staff in the armed forces who advises a commander
2
: the ranking officer of the army or air force
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