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Chief of Staff

noun

  1. the senior officer of the U.S. Army or Air Force, a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responsible to the secretary of a service branch.
  2. (lowercase) the senior or principal staff officer in a brigade or division or higher unit in the U.S. Army or Marine Corps, in a numbered unit in the U.S. Air Force, or in a unit in the U.S. Navy commanded by a rear admiral or one of higher rank.
  3. (lowercase) the senior officer in command of a general staff, especially that of the military forces of a nation.
  4. (lowercase) the head of any staff:

    the chief of staff for the First Lady.



Chief of Staff

noun

  1. the senior staff officer under the commander of a major military formation or organization
  2. the senior officer of each service of the armed forces


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Word History and Origins

Origin of Chief of Staff1

First recorded in 1880–85

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Example Sentences

He was a hard-nosed realist with impeccable military credentials: Palmach hero, IDF Chief-Of-Staff and Defense Minister.

The chief-of-staff reviews the incoming and outgoing correspondence and reduces it to its lowest terms.

His Majesty was in consultation with the chief-of-staff of the army when the arrival of the marshal was announced.

The plan of the march on Paris, which led directly to the fall of Napoleon, was specifically the work of the chief-of-staff.

As soon as a search-light was seen in a Russian fort, our chief-of-staff would order, Hit that!

Pupils of the school often appealed to the Chief-of-Staff and sent in “demands.”

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