1
: most importantly : principally, especially
Examples of chiefly in a Sentence
Adverb
our video collection consists chiefly of comedies, but we have a few horror movies
Recent Examples on the Web
Jamie Carter, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
The president’s tariffs are chiefly intended to pressure Mexico and Canada to help slow the flow of the deadly drug fentanyl into the United States, according to administration officials.
—Cory Smith, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2025
Stephen J. Beard, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2025
The latest: Tamarack Global has backed nine companies through Fund II, investing $250,000 to $5 million for chiefly seed through Series A rounds.
—Alan Neuhauser, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for chiefly
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Adverb
Shorter wavelengths, such as blue and violet, scatter away, while longer wavelengths —chiefly red and orange — more easily pass through and illuminate the lunar surface.
—Jamie Carter, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
The president’s tariffs are chiefly intended to pressure Mexico and Canada to help slow the flow of the deadly drug fentanyl into the United States, according to administration officials.
—Cory Smith, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
This month, a new kind of space telescope is setting out on a two-year mission to create four complete maps of the entire celestial sky that will catalog the origins of the universe and seek out the ingredients of life − chiefly water and carbon dioxide molecules − in distant interstellar clouds.
—Stephen J. Beard, USA TODAY, 24 Feb. 2025
The latest: Tamarack Global has backed nine companies through Fund II, investing $250,000 to $5 million for chiefly seed through Series A rounds.
—Alan Neuhauser, Axios, 30 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for chiefly
Cite this Entry
“Chiefly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chiefly. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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