commander in chief
64
4.9
- noun
- /kəˈmændər ɪn tʃiːf/
- Formal
:
comandante en jefe
- The President is the commander in chief of the armed forces in the United States.
- commander in chief (president)
- role as commander in chief
- commander in chief of the army
He is the commander in chief of the military.
- He is the commander in chief of the military.
- But it's Article One that says the president is the commander in chief.
- It's painstaking work, but it's something I will be committed to as commander in chief.
- I don't know if people are going to look at Kamala Harris as, you know, the likely commander in chief.
- The the position of commander in chief and president, you're going to make mistakes.
- But the fully embodied, positive part of being ruled by Mars is the commander in chief who doesn't fight himself.
- The first thing you do in the military, soldiers are missing or killed as you would notify the commander in chief.
Examples
-
The President is also the commander in chief.
-
I am honored to be your commander in chief.
Academic text (2003) -
Your commander in chief has issued a direct order.
-
The President of the United States is the commander in chief of the armed forces.
Blog text (17) -
We need really clear and careful messaging from the commander in chief on things like nuclear war.
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As your commander in chief, I owe you a mission that is clearly defined...
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According to the U.S. Constitution, the President is the commander in chief of the armed forces.
Fiction book (2000) -
The commander in chief has issued final authorization.
-
The framers made the president commander in chief, not a monarch.
Academic text (2003) -
Now, as commander in chief, President Trump has nearly unlimited power to wage war at his fingertips.
Synonyms
∞
1.9
A person who leads a group or community
23
4.6
The senior military officer who leads a country's armed forces
3
9.9
The top army leader in charge of many armies
How High-Ranking
- Formal
64
4.9
636
4.2
208
7.7
247
2.9
- Specialized
614
5.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly and transparently derived from the parts: 'commander' (a leader) combined with 'chief' (top authority) linked by 'in' to indicate the highest-ranking commander. This compositional pattern (e.g. Spanish 'comandante en jefe') is cross-linguistically common and would be readily inferable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Commander in chief pictures one person, the commander, placed in chief, meaning put in the 'top' or main position above all other officers. So, it means the person who has the 'highest' power and the 'final say' over the armed forces.