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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in captain
a person in overall command of a ship
the intrepid commander of the HMS Surprise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of commander
Last month, Hegseth fired the head of the Pentagon's intelligence agency and two other senior military commanders.
—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
David Dartez, commander of the Ford’s air wing.
—Matthew Bodner, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025
Instead, Ukraine has relied on a game designed by civilians to rank and reward its best commanders.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
The Artemis 2 crew consists of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commander
Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 25 Sep. 2025
David Dartez, commander of the Ford’s air wing.
—Matthew Bodner, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2025
Instead, Ukraine has relied on a game designed by civilians to rank and reward its best commanders.
—Simon Shuster, Time, 24 Sep. 2025
The Artemis 2 crew consists of commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commander
Noun
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David Forman, deputy commandant of midshipmen, a midshipman who mistook authorized law enforcement as a threat engaged and was injured in the process.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
The Washington Post first reported Noem was staying in the commandant’s residence rent-free, while the Daily Mail first reported the secretary moved there in July.—
Rebecca Beitsch,
The Hill,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The Palace captain was close to joining the Premier League champions before Palace pulled the plug on a £35million deal late on deadline day after failing to source an adequate replacement.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Multiple opponents had forfeited games to the Spartans after co-captain Brooke Slusser joined a lawsuit against the NCAA citing her experience with Fleming.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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When Angels manager Ron Washington took medical leave in June for the remainder of the 2025 season, Bochy became the oldest skipper, and only septuagenarian, in MLB.—
Candace Oehler,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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The snake has other ideas, chowing down on the boat's skipper and the crew's sound engineer and still hungry for more.—
Jennifer Ouellette,
ArsTechnica,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commander. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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