Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

chiefly

 - definition
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
adverb British English pronunciation: chiefly /ˈtʃiːfli/
  1. mainly or mostly, but not completely

    He will be remembered chiefly for the innovations of his early years at the school.

    There are branches of the shop all over the country, but chiefly in the south.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of chiefly

This is the British English definition of chiefly. View American English definition of chiefly.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

View the pronunciation for chiefly.

 

caxirola

a percussion instrument used by football fans which makes a rattling sound when shaken

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

emancipation

the process of giving freedom and rights to someone

Open Dictionary

pierce the corporate veil

… the decision to treat the rights and duties of a company as being the same as the rights and duties of its shareholders

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog