Word
chancellor
Phoneticschan·cel·lor
US/ˈtʃænsəɫɝ/
UK/tʃˈɑːnsɛlɐ/
Definitions
01head of government
n. the leader of the government in some countries, such as Germany or Austria.
n. the head of the executive branch of government in certain parliamentary democracies, notably Germany and Austria.
“The German chancellor met with other world leaders to discuss the new trade agreement.”
“The chancellor addressed the federal parliament to outline the government's proposed legislative agenda for the coming fiscal year.”
Formal
Synonyms
02university leader
n. the person in charge of a university, though sometimes the role is just for ceremonies.
n. the executive head or ceremonial leader of a university or college system.
“The university chancellor gave a speech at the graduation ceremony.”
“While the vice-chancellor manages daily operations, the chancellor represents the university at major international academic forums.”
Formal
Teaching tip
In the UK and Australia, the Chancellor is often a ceremonial figurehead, while the Vice-Chancellor does the actual work of running the school.
03finance minister
n. a short name for the government official in charge of a country's money and taxes.
n. a common ellipsis for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the senior official responsible for the national treasury.
“The chancellor announced a new tax on plastic bottles to help the environment.”
“Financial markets reacted sharply when the chancellor hinted at a significant increase in interest rates during the autumn budget statement.”
British English · Formal
Usage
Usually used with 'the' and capitalized when referring to the specific person in office.
Teaching tip
This sense is almost exclusively used in British English to refer to the head of the Treasury.
Synonyms
04legal/church official
n. a high-level judge or a person in charge of legal records for a church.
n. a high-ranking legal officer, such as a judge in a court of equity or a senior official in a cathedral or diocese.
“The church chancellor was responsible for keeping all the historical records safe.”
“The case was brought before the chancellor of the court, who specialized in matters of equity rather than standard criminal law.”
Formal · Technical
Real-World Examples
“This was likely to be followed by a "more painful deceleration" in the next few months, he said, and would make Chancellor John Healey's first Budget in October "more challenging".” “Treasury sources have confirmed that internal modelling presented to the new prime minister and chancellor suggests UK GDP growth could be as low as 0.3% in 2027, as first reported by Bloomberg.” Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/chancellor