czar

noun

ˈzär  ˈ(t)sär 

variants or less commonly tsar or tzar

1

: emperor

specifically : the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution

2

: one having great power or authority

a banking czar

czardom noun

or less commonly tsardom or tzardom

ˈzär-dəm 

ˈ(t)sär-

Synonyms

• baron
• captain
• king
• lion
• lord
• magnate
• mogul
• monarch
• Napoleon
• prince
• tycoon

Examples of czar in a Sentence

a showbiz czar who is said to be able to make or break a career

Recent Examples on the Web

Controversy over the extreme weather czar post first mounted in the aftermath of Ophelia, when the Daily News reported that the post had been sitting vacant since the de Blasio administration’s coordinator, Emma Wolfe, left upon Adams’ inauguration. —Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 22 Apr. 2024

And ultimately the state coordinator or zoning czar who never stepped into your town is the ultimate arbiter. —Alexis Harrison, Hartford Courant, 3 Apr. 2024

Padilla said his employees are afraid to come to work downtown, and there should be a specialized person — akin to a czar — who attempts to secure more housing and treatment beds for people suffering from mental illness. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 6 June 2024

Individuals such as Rocket Force leaders, the equipment czar, and those responsible for oversight were all positioned to profit. —Joel Wuthnow, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin czar, from Russian tsar', from Old Russian tsĭsarĭ, from Goth kaisar, from Greek or Latin; Greek, from Latin Caesar — more at caesar

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

czar

noun

variants also tsar or tzar

ˈzär

1

: the ruler of Russia until the 1917 revolution

2

: one having great power or authority

a baseball czar

czardom noun

also tsardom or tzardom

ˈzärd-əm

Etymology

Latin czar "czar," from Russian tsar' (same meaning), from early Russian tsǐsarǐ, tsěsarǐ "emperor," from a Germanic word kaisar "emperor," derived from Latin Caesar (title of a line of Roman emperors after Augustus Caesar) see Word History at emperor