Synonyms

commander in chief

American

noun

plural

commanders in chief

Also Commander in Chief the supreme commander of the armed forces of a nation or, sometimes, of several allied nations.

The president is the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force.
an officer in command of a particular portion of an armed force who has been given this title by specific authorization.

commander in chief British

noun

the officer holding supreme command of the forces in an area or operation
the officer holding command of a major subdivision of one military service

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

commander in chief Cultural

The role of the United States president as highest ranking officer in the armed forces. The Constitution provides this power, but, through the system of checks and balances, gives Congress the authority to declare war. During periods of war, presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, George H. W. Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George W. Bush have taken active roles as commander in chief.

Etymology

Origin of commander in chief

First recorded in 1635–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In 1947, Harry S. Truman became the first U.S. commander in chief to visit Mexico City.

From Los Angeles Times

Yet as commander in chief, wisely comprehending that no war to save the Union could be waged, much less won, exclusively by Republicans, Lincoln sought out Democrats to help battle secession.

From The Wall Street Journal

It is amusing to note that both the Pakistani and Indian armies retained British commanders in chief after independence.

From The Wall Street Journal

The pledge came as more than 3,000 troops and police in uniform filed past Venezuela's first female leader and commander in chief.

From Barron's

He noted that he and the former commander in chief both had “the bad kind” of prostate cancer.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023