What does "chef" mean?

1. (professional head cook) a professional cook who is in charge of a kitchen in a restaurant or hotel. 2. (any cook) a person who cooks food, often used as a compliment for someone who is good at it. 3. (drug manufacturer) someone who makes illegal drugs. 4. (to work as a chef) to work as a professional cook. 5. (to stab) to attack someone with a knife.

How do you use "chef"?

Common in Multicultural London English (MLE).

Is it correct to say "He is a good cooker."?

No — say "He is a good chef.". A 'cooker' is a machine or appliance used for cooking; a person who cooks professionally is a 'chef'.

chef

n. · v.

US //ˈʃɛf// UK //ʃˈɛf// chef

1 professional head cook (n.)
A2 Elementary Cooking

a professional cook who is in charge of a kitchen in a restaurant or hotel.

the head cook of a restaurant or other commercial establishment, typically responsible for menu design and staff management.

Example

The chef came out of the kitchen to ask if we liked our meal.

Example

After years of training in Paris, she was finally appointed as the executive chef of a Michelin-starred restaurant in London.
- head cook
- culinary artist
Pitfall

He is a good cooker.

He is a good chef.

A 'cooker' is a machine or appliance used for cooking; a person who cooks professionally is a 'chef'.
2 any cook (n.)
B1 Intermediate Informal Cooking

a person who cooks food, often used as a compliment for someone who is good at it.

a person who prepares food, often used loosely or honorifically for a skilled amateur cook.

Example

My dad is the main chef in our house on Sunday mornings.

Example

Even though he had no formal training, his friends considered him a master chef because of his complex spice blends.
- cook

Show 3 more sensesShow fewer

3 drug manufacturer (n.)
C1 Advanced Slang

someone who makes illegal drugs.

a person involved in the illicit manufacture of chemical drugs.

Example

The police arrested the chef who was running the secret lab.

Example

Underworld informants identified the local chef responsible for the recent surge in high-purity synthetic stimulants.
- cook
4 to work as a chef (v.)
B2 Upper Intermediate Informal Cooking

to work as a professional cook.

to perform the duties of a professional chef; often used in the progressive form to describe a career path.

Example

He has been cheffing at that Italian place for three years now.

Example

She spent her twenties cheffing across Europe before returning home to open her own bistro.
- cook
5 to stab (v.)
C2 Proficiency Slang Dialect

to attack someone with a knife.

to wound or kill someone by stabbing with a blade.

Example

The lyrics of the song mentioned people getting cheffed in the street.

Example

The witness claimed to have seen the suspect attempt to chef the victim during the altercation outside the club.

Usage

Common in Multicultural London English (MLE).

Teacher's tip

This sense is highly specific to UK urban slang and should be avoided in general or formal contexts.
- stab
- shank

Origin

Unadapted borrowing from French chef (from the positions of chef d'office and chef de cuisine), from Old French chief (“head, leader”) (English chief), from Vulgar Latin capus (“head”) (from which also captain, chieftain), from Latin caput (“head”) (possibly related to English cap (“head covering”)). Doublet of cape, capo, caput, and chief through Latin, and head and Howth through Proto-Indo-European.