chief justice

noun

Synonyms of chief justicenext
: the presiding or principal judge of a court of justice

Examples of chief justice in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The chief justice’s action gave the full Supreme Court time to consider whether there should be a longer stay as the litigation proceeded. — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026 In mid-May, India’s chief justice made some comments comparing unemployed youth to cockroaches and parasites. — Fiction Non Fiction, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026 The Senate then conducts an impeachment trial, with the chief justice of the Supreme Court presiding. — Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 24 Aug. 2026 She’s hired a former Georgia Supreme Court chief justice as a special prosecutor to get the state’s appellate courts to weigh in. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chief justice

Word History

First Known Use

1534, in the meaning defined above

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

Rhymes for chief justice

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Browse Nearby Words

chief hare
chief justice
chiefless
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Cite this Entry

“Chief justice.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chief%20justice. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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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

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for chief justice

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chief justice

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