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.
Hegseth’s chief of staff, Ricky Buria, publicly denied the account at the time. — Joseph Konig, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 In British Columbia, Carney’s former deputy chief of staff Braeden Caley won North Vancouver-Capilano. — ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026 Inner circle members still at his side include chief of staff Susie Wiles, deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and communications director Steven Cheung. — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Baiz takes over for longtime ARC head coach Jon Osterhout, now the assistant athletic director and chief of staff of Sacramento State’s football program, his alma mater. — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 27 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 3 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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