captain

noun cap·tain \ ˈkap-tən also ˈkap-ᵊm \

|Updated on: 16 Aug 2018

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 (such as a precinct or company) and usually ranking above a lieutenant and below a chief

2 : one who leads or supervises: such 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

—

captaincy

play \ˈkap-tən-sē\ noun

—

captainship

play \-ˌship\ noun

See captain defined for English-language learners

See captain defined for kids

Examples of captain in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of captain from the Web

According to a press release from the department, Fisher worked his way up the ranks, becoming a lieutenant in 1987, a captain in 1999, and deputy chief in 2000.

— morgan hughes, BostonGlobe.com, "Curing the flu, wedding dresses for soldiers, and food for the elderly," 13 July 2018
Payet was also made captain of the side last season by manager Rudi Garcia, making his departure seem yet more unlikely.

— SI.com, "Marseille Dismiss Claims That Dimitri Payet is Set to Rejoin West Ham," 9 July 2018
However, in April, Moe Yan Naing, a police captain called by the prosecution as a witness, admitted that a brigadier general had ordered police officers to meet the journalists and give them documents to entrap them.

— jon emont, WSJ, "Reporters Face Formal Charges in Myanmar for Investigation Into Rohingya Massacre," 9 July 2018
John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.

— john cox, USA TODAY, "Ask the Captain: Does Air Force One refuel in flight?," 8 July 2018
There were trying circumstances, as longtime assistant coach Dave Huntley died in December and a senior captain’s father died the morning of the semifinal game.

— glenn graham, baltimoresun.com, "2018 All-Metro boys lacrosse Coach of the Year: Bryan Kelly, Calvert Hall," 4 July 2018
But Schnaufer, a National Guard captain seeking to unseat two-term Commissioner Sean Parks in the Aug. 28 GOP primary, wants voters to give him a nearly $82,000-a-year job based on a padded resume.

— lauren ritchie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Lake County Commission candidate Tad Schnaufer pads work, academia background," 3 July 2018
In Nagaland, Talimeren Ao, a small-town doctor and captain of India's 1948 Olympic soccer team, inspired generations of players.

— yirmiyan arthur, Fox News, "In cricket-mad India, 1 distant corner is crazy for soccer," 29 June 2018
Animal masks provide a continuous stream of oxygen, while human masks can be more controlled, said Dave Sabat, a captain in EMS operations.

— leah brennan, Howard County Times, "Howard County pets in crisis could be breathing easier with new air masks," 28 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'captain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of captain

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

captain Synonyms

captain

verb

Definition of captain

captained; captaining; captains

transitive verb

: to be captain of : lead

captained the football team

See captain defined for English-language learners

Examples of captain in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of captain from the Web

Australia captain Mile Jedinak had briefly equalized from the penalty spot in the 62nd after France defender Samuel Umtiti handled the ball in the area.

— sanuel petrequin, BostonGlobe.com, "Video replay, goal-line technology helped France beat gritty Australia," 16 June 2018
Australia captain Mile Jedinak had briefly equalized from the penalty spot in the 62nd after Samuel Umtiti handled the ball in the area.

— samuel petrequin, chicagotribune.com, "France beat Australia as VAR makes first World Cup appearance," 16 June 2018
In 1998 at Royal Melbourne, Mr. Thomson captained the International team to its only victory against the United States in the Presidents Cup, the biennial competition first held in 1994.

— dennis passa, Washington Post, "Peter Thomson, Australian golfer who won the British Open five times, dies at 88," 21 June 2018
The four Pro Championship Bracket teams are captained by former NFL, NBA and Olympic standouts Michael Vick (Roadrunners), Chad Ochocinco (Ocho), Nate Robinson (Holdat), Carlos Boozer (Holdat) and Michael Johnson (Godspeed).

— dave clark, Cincinnati.com, "DVR alert: NFL Network to broadcast Chad Ochocinco's flag football team," 21 June 2018
Both men will captain the Springboks for the first time.

— CNN, "South Africa names first black rugby captain in 127-year Test history," 28 May 2018
The Olemaun Crew, now captained by Tommy Olemaun, landed a 29 foot, 1 inch whale, as well.

— Anchorage Daily News, "Alaska’s North Slope whalers bring in spring bounty," 7 May 2018
The Senators were eager to deal him amid a dispute between him and his fiancee and Senators captain Erik Karlsson and his wife.

— CBS News, "Mike Hoffman traded by Ottawa Senators after fiancee accused of cyberbullying," 19 June 2018
His love for Argentina goes back to 1986, when football superstar Maradona captained the team.

— sreoshi mukherjee, CNN, "Lionel Messi: Indian tea-maker creates shrine to Argentina star," 15 June 2018

First Known Use of captain

1598

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

captain Synonyms

Synonyms

boss, command, control, govern, preside (over), rule;

Related Words

conduct, direct, head, lead;

administer, manage, micromanage, oversee, regulate, superintend, supervise;

dictate, dominate, domineer, lord (it over), master, oppress, reign (over), tyrannize;

conquer, subdue, subjugate;

CAPTAIN Defined for English Language Learners

captain

noun

Definition of captain for English Language Learners

: a person who is in charge of a ship or an airplane
: an officer of high rank in some branches of the military
: an officer of high rank in a police or fire department

captain

verb

Definition of captain for English Language Learners

: to be in charge of (a ship or airplane)
: to lead (a team)

CAPTAIN Defined for Kids

captain

noun cap·tain \ ˈkap-tən \

Definition of captain for Students

1 : the commanding officer of a ship

2 : a leader of a group : someone in command

the captain of a football team

3 : an officer of high rank in a police or fire department

4 : a commissioned officer in the navy or coast guard ranking above a commander

5 : a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking below a major

Word Root of captain

The Latin word caput, meaning “head," gives us the root capit, which is sometimes shortened to capt. Words from the Latin caput have something to do with the head or a place where decisions are made. The capital of a state or country is the city where the government is and where decisions are made about laws. A captain is the person who heads a group and leads his members. To decapitate is to cut off someone's head.