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

Emanuel recalled his visits to Israel in 2009, while serving as then-President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, and as recently as this summer. — Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026

There's concern the waves could worsen challenges along the Southern California coast, said Alyssa Napuri, deputy chief of staff for Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley. — ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

Authorities say the man contacted Katie Miller at least 40 times over the course of several weeks, sometimes leaving disturbing voicemails and text messages about her and her husband, Stephen Miller, who serves as White House deputy chief of staff. — Alanna Durkin Richer, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Volma Volcy, chief of staff at the Sacramento Central Labor Council, rejected the idea that the demonstration was simply political theater. — JosÉ Luis Villegas, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1862, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for chief of staff

• autograph
• biograph
• cenotaph
• chronograph
• epigraph
• epitaph
• hodograph
• holograph
• hydrograph
• lithograph
• micrograph
• monograph

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