chief justice

noun

: the presiding or principal judge of a court of justice

Examples of chief justice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The chief justice, now 69 and about to begin his 20th term, appears to have abandoned his usual institutional concerns. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 30 July 2024 The opinion in Trump v. U.S. is instead, at bottom, a procedural one, claimed the chief justice. Cameron Joseph, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 July 2024 The chief justice offers a more optimistic view of today’s politics by pointing to other periods of great conflict in U.S. history, including the Civil War, the New Deal and the Vietnam War. Kevin J. McMahon, The Conversation, 24 June 2024 Four sources knowledgeable about Newby’s or the commission’s actions told ProPublica that the chief justice encouraged the investigation. Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 17 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for chief justice 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chief justice.' 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

1534, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chief justice was in 1534

Dictionary Entries Near chief justice

Cite this Entry

“Chief justice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief%20justice. Accessed 22 Aug. 2024.

Kids Definition

chief justice

noun
: the presiding or principal judge of a court of justice

Legal Definition

chief justice

noun
: a chief judge of a usually higher level court
specifically, often capitalized : the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
chief justiceship noun

More from Merriam-Webster on chief justice

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