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Prepositions with chief

Chief of vs chief among

Chief of usually names a role or organisation. Chief among means most important within a group or list.

Quick answer

Which form should you use?

Use chief of for titles, departments, or groups: chief of staff. Use chief among to mean the most important person or thing in a group. Do not use chief among as an official title.

She became chief of police.
Trust was chief among their concerns.
He served as chief of the naval operations unit.
Cost was chief among the reasons for delay.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
chief of + organisation/group

Naming a leadership role

Chief of introduces the organisation, department, or staff led by someone.

the chief of security
She is chief of staff
2
chief among + plural noun

Showing the most important item in a group

Chief among highlights the leading example or concern among several.

chief among the challenges
chief among his priorities
3
chief concern/problem/reason

Using chief before a noun

Chief can directly modify a noun to mean main or most important.

chief concern of the committee
chief reason for the change

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
chief of
She is the chief of operations.
an official leadership position
chief among
Safety was chief among their concerns.
the most important in a group
chief in
He played a chief role in the merger.
in can appear later as a separate phrase, not as a fixed pattern with chief
chief over
The manager had authority over the region.
English usually prefers other structures instead of chief over

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using chief among as a job title

Chief among describes importance, not an official position.

✕ She is chief among marketing. ✓ She is chief of marketing.

Confusing chief of with possession

Chief of normally refers to leadership or command.

✕ The chief of problem was timing. ✓ The chief problem was timing.

Using among with a single item

Among refers to a group of people or things.

✕ Chief among the issue was cost. ✓ Chief among the issues was cost.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. She was appointed ___ staff.
2. Speed was ___ the team's advantages.
3. The ___ concern was funding.

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Frequently asked questions

Is chief of used for job titles?

Yes. English commonly uses chief of in official roles such as chief of staff or chief of police.

Can I say chief among the team?

Only if you mean the most important within the team, not a formal title.

Is chief an adjective or a noun?

It can be both. In chief concern it is an adjective. In tribal chief it is a noun.

calm, in, calm, for, calm, about "candid about" or "candid in"? capable of or in? careful about, with, of, in or on? careless about, with, in, of or on? caribbean in, for, with, to or on? "catastrophic for" or "catastrophic to"? "cautious about" or "cautious in"? celtic in, for, on, at or to? central to, in, for, at or of? "certain of" or "certain about"? "challenging for" or "challenging of"?

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