chef

noun

ˈshef How to pronounce chef (audio)
plural chefs
Synonyms of chef
1
: a skilled professional cook
a trained chef
specifically : one who is in charge of a professional kitchen
I wrote to the chef of an acclaimed New American restaurant on the Upper East Side about my food experiences. He invited me to spend a few days in the kitchen on a trial basis. —Adam Shatz
2
: cook
chef intransitive verb
chefdom
ˈshef-dəm How to pronounce chef (audio)
noun

Synonyms of chef

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Examples of chef in a Sentence

The hotel's chef trained at the finest culinary institutes in Europe. He's the head chef at a five-star restaurant. a celebrity chef with her own TV show My friend is an excellent chef.
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.
Saldaña suggests Havre 77, a cozy bistro run by Mexican chef Eduardo García, his go-to for the French onion soup and namesake burgers (the best burgers in Mexico’s capital, according to him). — Alan Chazaro, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Oct. 2026 One, published in Case Reports in Infectious Diseases, described a chef who may have contracted psittacosis through handling poultry. — Rachel Melegrito, Scientific American, 26 Oct. 2026 Swazi chef Sanza Sandile is using food to combat anti-migrant sentiment in South Africa. — Leah Quinn, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Recipients over the years have included major and minor league coaches, chefs, clubhouse attendants, parking lot security guards, the people who liaise with the players’ wives, and the ushers who staff the family section in the stands. — Stephanie Apstein, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chef

Word History

Etymology

French, short for chef de cuisine head of the kitchen

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chef was in 1826

Phrases Containing chef

Rhymes for chef

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Browse Nearby Words

cheewink
chef
chef's kiss
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chef.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chef. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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