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
Adam Shatz 2
: cook
chef
intransitive verb
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 documents were released a day after it was revealed Patriots star wide receiver Stefon Diggs is facing criminal charges following an incident with a personal chef on December 2.
—Mike Toole, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2025
The texts were included in an incident report created by the Dedham Police Department and obtained by PEOPLE which details Diggs' alleged assault of the chef.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Chef John Fleer, former executive chef at Blackberry Farm and former chef-owner of Rhubarb in Asheville, is credited with a Buttermilk Cornbread Soup, served on the latter restaurant's menu occasionally.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
On port days, small-group outings led by onboard chefs — called Culinary Discovery Tours — involve market visits, vineyard tastings and regional cooking classes that tie directly back to the ship’s culinary program.
—David Dickstein, Oc Register, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chef
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Mike Toole, CBS News, 31 Dec. 2025
The texts were included in an incident report created by the Dedham Police Department and obtained by PEOPLE which details Diggs' alleged assault of the chef.
—Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 31 Dec. 2025
Chef John Fleer, former executive chef at Blackberry Farm and former chef-owner of Rhubarb in Asheville, is credited with a Buttermilk Cornbread Soup, served on the latter restaurant's menu occasionally.
—Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 31 Dec. 2025
On port days, small-group outings led by onboard chefs — called Culinary Discovery Tours — involve market visits, vineyard tastings and regional cooking classes that tie directly back to the ship’s culinary program.
—David Dickstein, Oc Register, 31 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for chef
Cite this Entry
“Chef.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chef. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
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chef
noun1
: a chief cook
2
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