captain

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

|Updated on: 7 Jun 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

Squad The biggest news concerning the Peruvian squad has been the readmission of captain and top scorer Paolo Guerrero after a contentious drug ban was frozen by a Swiss court.

— SI.com, "2018 FIFA World Cup Team Preview: Analysing Peru's Chances at the Tournament," 1 June 2018
The three-year captain has committed to Seattle University for next year.

— katherine fitzgerald, azcentral, "Arizona High School Girls Tennis Player of the Year nominees," 31 May 2018
All were promoted by President Nixon to the rank of captain.

— richard goldstein, BostonGlobe.com, "Astronaut and moonwalker Alan Bean dies at 86," 26 May 2018
Harry served in the army for 10 years and completed two tours in Afghanistan, rising to the rank of captain.

— NBC News, "Royal wedding: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry to wed in Windsor," 19 May 2018
Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini will take over the role of captain.

— emmeline moore, chicagotribune.com, "Buffon leaving Serie A champions Juventus after 17 years," 17 May 2018
Drax’s deadpan awe, Star-Lord’s childish jealousy, and Rocket smugly accepting the title of captain are all telling character beats.

— samantha nelson, The Verge, "How Avengers: Infinity War uses humor to solve its story problems," 9 May 2018
The only thing the extraordinary teams in my book had in common was a certain type of captain.

— sam walker, WSJ, "Steve Kerr, the Golden State Warriors, and the Art of Sharing Power," 4 May 2018
At one point in the fifth inning, the entire broadcast froze for tens of thousands of viewers (including myself) during a montage of Mets captain David Wright.

— rob tornoe, Philly.com, "Today's Phillies-Diamondbacks game only available on Facebook," 26 Apr. 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

Buffon, 40, captained Juventus to a seventh straight Serie A title and fourth consecutive Italian Cup triumph this season.

— emmeline moore, chicagotribune.com, "Buffon leaving Serie A champions Juventus after 17 years," 17 May 2018
Josh Harris and Jake Anderson had a lot riding on them this season, with the former returning after an 18-month break and the latter captaining his first vessel after dumping nearly $750,000 into its repairs.

— tyler mccarthy, Fox News, "'Deadliest Catch' captains Jake Anderson and Josh Harris talk living the American dream," 17 Apr. 2018
Her older brother, Clark, won the Ostergren award in 2016 as the most outstanding student athlete in Arlington, posting a 4.51 GPA while captaining three sports.

— nate weitzer, BostonGlobe.com, "In Arlington, a senior foursome seeks softball glory," 4 May 2018
During her four years on the court with the then Redskins, Romanelli was named team captain her junior and senior years.

— emmett hall, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Lighthouse Point resident inducted into Cardinal Gibbons Athletic Hall of Fame," 28 Apr. 2018
Meanwhile, back on the Cornelia Marie, captains Josh and Casey are testing out their new agreed upon spot with captain Sean.

— tyler mccarthy, Fox News, "'Deadliest Catch' Season 14, Episode 3 recap: There's no trust among captains on the Bering Sea," 24 Apr. 2018
As of Saturday, 15 people were killed — including coach Darcy Haugan and team captain Logan Schatz — and another 14 were injured.

— michelle r. martinelli, For The Win, "Blackhawks, Jets and other NHL teams honor Humboldt Broncos victims," 7 Apr. 2018
The builder captains leading the remodel project are Melanie Heinrich with TriFection Remodeling & Construction, Sandra Crook with Greymark Construction and Sherry Pruitt with Whodid It Designs and Remodeling.

— Houston Chronicle, "HomeAid teams with GHBA members on remodeling projects," 9 Mar. 2018
Oliver Giroud is expected to have earned his place in the side after scoring twice against Southampton last week, while Gary Cahill will hope to captain his side to another FA Cup final.

— SI.com, "Chelsea vs Southampton Preview: Classic Encounter, Key Battle, Team News & More," 21 Apr. 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.