commander in chief

noun phrase

: one who holds the supreme command of an armed force

Examples of commander in chief in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In total, Roosevelt and his son Kermit killed 512 animals during the expedition—a figure that, on the surface, might appear to clash with the commander in chief’s conservationist ideals. Peter Zablocki, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Oct. 2024 The look was military, judicial, stabilizing, powerful: an advance vision of the commander in chief. Nathan Heller, Vogue, 11 Oct. 2024 In the final stretch of campaigning, the stakes for who takes on the role of commander in chief increase by the day. Alex Perry, The Enquirer, 11 Oct. 2024 Former officials in Donald Trump's White House have dropped new bombshell claims that the previous president wanted to withhold federal disaster aid in states that were not Republican-leaning during his time as commander in chief. Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for commander in chief 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commander in chief.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1654, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of commander in chief was in 1654

Dictionary Entries Near commander in chief

Cite this Entry

“Commander in chief.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commander%20in%20chief. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

commander in chief

: one who holds the supreme command of an armed force

More from Merriam-Webster on commander in chief

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