captain

¹cap·tain

noun \ˈkap-tən also ˈkap-^əm\

Definition of CAPTAIN

1

a (1) : a military leader : the commander of a unit or a body of troops (2) : a subordinate officer commanding under a sovereign or general (3) : a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking above a first lieutenant and below a major

b (1) : a naval officer who is master or commander of a ship (2) : a commissioned officer in the navy ranking above a commander and below a commodore and in the coast guard ranking above a commander and below a rear admiral

c : a senior pilot who commands the crew of an airplane

d : an officer in a police department or fire department in charge of a unit (as a precinct or company) and usually ranking above a lieutenant and below a chief

2

: one who leads or supervises: as

a : a leader of a sports team or side

b : headwaiter

c : a person in charge of hotel bellhops —called also bell captain

3

: a person of importance or influence in a field <captains of industry>

— cap·tain·cy \ˈkap-tən-sē\ noun

— cap·tain·ship \-ˌship\ noun

Examples of CAPTAIN

1. The captain has turned off the “fasten seat belt” sign.
2. <the captain is responsible for everything that happens to his ship in the course of a voyage>

Origin of CAPTAIN

Middle English capitane, from Anglo-French capitain, from Late Latin capitaneus, adjective & noun, chief, from Latin capit-, caput head — more at head

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CAPTAIN

Synonyms

commander, skip, skipper

Related Words

sea captain; master, pilot; commanding officer; admiral, commodore, vice admiral; mate, officer

Near Antonyms

crew, crewman, crewmate

²captain

transitive verb

Definition of CAPTAIN

: to be captain of : lead <captained the football team>

Examples of CAPTAIN

1. The ship was captained by John Smith.
2. She captained last year's team.

First Known Use of CAPTAIN

1598

Related to CAPTAIN

Synonyms

boss, handle, head, overlook, oversee, quarterback, superintend, supervise

Related Words

administer, command, control, direct, guide, manage, order, run, shepherd, show, steer; monitor, preside (over); govern, reign, rule

Near Antonyms

bow (to), comply (with), defer (to), follow, obey, serve, submit (to), yield (to)