chef

noun

plural chefs
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 noun

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 The 10,000-square-foot restaurant will be spread across two floors, including multiple private dining rooms, a chef’s kitchen, and a meat display. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2024 The chef also knows not everybody leaps at the thought of thymus glands for dinner. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 The ruling was related to a wedding reception held in 2021 at the chef’s Piccolo Lago di Verbania restaurant — which boasts two Michelin stars — alongside Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 In 2021, the inaugural recipients of the prize were Van Jones, a lawyer and CNN commentator, and chef José Andrés, each of whom received $100 million. Jake Tapper, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 As the chef Lidia Bastianich told the New York Times writer Melissa Clark in 2015, this approach peaked in the 1950s and remained prevalent through the 1970s. Yotam Ottolenghi, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 The nearly 40,000-square-foot space will boast a year-round outdoor terrace and a chef’s kitchen, among other premium amenities. Stella Shon, Travel + Leisure, 13 Mar. 2024 The establishment’s chef, Evan Funke, was manning a pizza oven on the outdoor patio to offer guests pieces of pie. Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Cocina de Autor, at the hands of celebrity chefs Bruno Oteiza and Mikel Alonso, is a feast for the senses. Roger Sands, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chef.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near chef

Cite this Entry

“Chef.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chef. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chef

noun
1
: a chief cook
2

More from Merriam-Webster on chef

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