as in commander
one in official command especially of a military force or base
reported directly to the fort's commanding officer
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Recent Examples of commanding officer
Commander Joyner is a four-year cadet and commanding officer of the Wilson Central High School Navy JROTC unit, which has more than 100 cadets.
—
Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Feb. 2026
In exchange, the commanding officer, Kevin Taylor, pressured NYPD officials and City Council members to award the contracts to procure goods and services from the company, which sells panic buttons to school systems, according to an indictment.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
The dispatcher informed the commanding officer that Brown had five working officers and only two were available to provide him assistance at the time.
—Mark Reynolds, The Providence Journal, 9 Feb. 2026
Tom Cruise is Precrime's chief commanding officer, but the program is turned back around on him when he's flagged as a future murderer himself.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commanding officer
Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, 20 Feb. 2026
In exchange, the commanding officer, Kevin Taylor, pressured NYPD officials and City Council members to award the contracts to procure goods and services from the company, which sells panic buttons to school systems, according to an indictment.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026
The dispatcher informed the commanding officer that Brown had five working officers and only two were available to provide him assistance at the time.
—Mark Reynolds, The Providence Journal, 9 Feb. 2026
Tom Cruise is Precrime's chief commanding officer, but the program is turned back around on him when he's flagged as a future murderer himself.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commanding officer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commanding officer
Noun
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Borman, the commander, insisted on as few lunar orbits as possible given the risks.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
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Ghalibaf is importantly a former senior Revolutionary Guard commander and a close adviser to Mojtaba Khamenei.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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With a German commandant enraged, Edmonds stood his ground and invoked prisoners' rights under international law.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
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The controversial wording was later removed after two Democratic lawmakers put a hold on Lunday’s nomination for commandant until the manual was changed.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commanding officer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commanding%20officer. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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