Definition of captain
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a(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
captain
verb
captained; captaining; captains
Definition of captain (Entry 2 of 2)
: to be captain of : lead
captained the football team
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for captain
The first known use of captain was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century