chef

UK: /ˈʃɛf/ US: /ʃɛf/ ,(shef )

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

chef /ʃɛf/   n. [countable]

1. Food the chief cook, esp. in a restaurant, responsible for the menu and in charge of food preparation.
2. Food any cook.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

chef  (shef ), n. 

1. Food the chief cook, esp. in a restaurant or hotel, usually responsible for planning menus, ordering foodstuffs, overseeing food preparation, and supervising the kitchen staff.
2. Food any cook.

• French; see chief
• 1835–45

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

chef / ʃɛf/ noun

1. a cook, esp the principal cook in a restaurant

Etymology: 19th Century: from French, from Old French chief head, chief