1
as in commandant
one in official command especially of a military force or base
a surrender of the fort by the commander without a single shot having been fired
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2
as in captain
a person in overall command of a ship
the intrepid commander of the HMS Surprise
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of commander
By the numbers As of Friday (June 20), there are 7 people aboard the International Space Station: commander Takuya Onishi of JAXA, Anne McClain, Nichole Ayers and Jonny Kim of NASA and Kirill Peskov, Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky of Roscosmos, all flight engineers.
—
Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 23 June 2025
In just two days, Israel assassinated the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, the top commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the head of the country’s aerospace-and-missile program.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
The post’s color guard commander, Tony Kennedy of Libertyville, spent one year (1968 and 1969) in Vietnam serving in the United States Army.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025
Air raid sirens blared, and explosions echoed across Israel on Friday night as Iranian rockets struck Tel Aviv, the country's commercial center in response to deadly Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities and top military commanders.
—Tom O'Connor Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for commander
Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 23 June 2025
In just two days, Israel assassinated the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, the top commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the head of the country’s aerospace-and-missile program.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
The post’s color guard commander, Tony Kennedy of Libertyville, spent one year (1968 and 1969) in Vietnam serving in the United States Army.
—Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2025
Air raid sirens blared, and explosions echoed across Israel on Friday night as Iranian rockets struck Tel Aviv, the country's commercial center in response to deadly Israeli strikes on its nuclear facilities and top military commanders.
—Tom O'Connor Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for commander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commander
Noun
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Mahoney also performed the duties of acting commandant of the Marine Corps from November 2023 to March 2024 after Gen. Eric Smith suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
18 June 2025
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Schumer pointed to Admiral Linda Fagan being relieved of her duties as commandant of the Coast Guard on Jan. 21.—
Adi Guajardo,
CBS News,
20 May 2025
Noun
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The 37-year-old longtime Blackhawks captain hasn’t played since April 2023.—
and Alex Kirshner,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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The captain disagrees but is soon proved wrong as the plane crashes.—
Glenn Whipp,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The main captain, though, will be Bernardo Silva, fulfilling a 2019 prophecy from Vincent Kompany, at the end of the Belgian defender’s time as City skipper.—
Sam Lee,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
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Gill has already led from the front with the Gujarat Titans after being installed as skipper in the 2024 Indian Premier League.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commander. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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