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
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
Synonyms
Examples of captain in a Sentence
Noun
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
Verb
The ship was captained by John Smith.
She captained last year's team.
Recent Examples on the Web
Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
Hopkinton senior captain Brooke Birtwistle (right), a Purdue commit, has emerged as a playmaker for the Hillers.
—Lauren Thomas, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023
The ship’s captain refused Emma Coger a seat at a table of white women, and she was forcibly removed.
—Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023
She was named an honorary captain at the team’s spring football game during that April visit.
—oregonlive, 10 Sep. 2023
Carpenter, the head of American Waterways Operators, said lessons learned last year – including improvements in the Coast Guard’s deployment of navigation buoys to help towboat captains see new shoals or channel patterns – have also bolstered preparations.
—USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2023
The first player picked in the 2023 NFL Draft, Young is among 18 players from Alabama high schools and colleges who were chosen as team captains in the NFL this season.
—Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2023
The largest cheers of the night came when Lovejoy offensive lineman Sam Reynolds joined his fellow senior captains at midfield for the coin toss.
—Greg McKenna, Dallas News, 9 Sep. 2023
Though the Rebels were able to pick up the third down and get near midfield, senior captain Kris Jenkins got his first sack of the year on a bull rush up the middle to drop Brumfield and force a third down, and eventually, a punt.
—Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 9 Sep. 2023
oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2023
Griner led Team Stewart, captained by the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart, to a 143-127 over Team Wilson, led by the Aces’ A’ja Wilson.
—Mark Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 15 July 2023
His grandfather James Delaney Buffett captained a steamship, and his father served in the Army Corps of Engineers before raising his family in the gulf town of Mobile, Ala.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023
Morgan Harris, Howard, defensive specialist, senior Harris, who leads by example, will captain one of the area’s best programs.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 29 Aug. 2023
Ronaldo captains a team in the Saudi Pro League and the Portugal national team.
—Christopher Kuhagen, Journal Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2023
The Argentinian polo star acted as captain for the Singapore Polo Club Team, while Harry played for the Royal Salute Sentebale Team, which was captained by Malcolm Borwick.
—Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 12 Aug. 2023
Those stories and documentaries, shown on three screens in the exhibit, include remembrances of late LGBTQ pioneers such as Bonny Benjamin, a gay woman who captained a fishing vessel in the 1970s and employed gay women for much of her crew.
—Brian MacQuarrie, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Aug. 2023
The boats, captained by residents, have made dozens of trips and delivered thousands of pounds of supplies.
—Reis Thebault, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2023
See More
Noun
County records show he’s been a captain since 2021, earning just over $200,000 in base pay.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2023
Hopkinton senior captain Brooke Birtwistle (right), a Purdue commit, has emerged as a playmaker for the Hillers.
—Lauren Thomas, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Sep. 2023
The ship’s captain refused Emma Coger a seat at a table of white women, and she was forcibly removed.
—Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023
She was named an honorary captain at the team’s spring football game during that April visit.
—oregonlive, 10 Sep. 2023
Carpenter, the head of American Waterways Operators, said lessons learned last year – including improvements in the Coast Guard’s deployment of navigation buoys to help towboat captains see new shoals or channel patterns – have also bolstered preparations.
—USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2023
The first player picked in the 2023 NFL Draft, Young is among 18 players from Alabama high schools and colleges who were chosen as team captains in the NFL this season.
—Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2023
The largest cheers of the night came when Lovejoy offensive lineman Sam Reynolds joined his fellow senior captains at midfield for the coin toss.
—Greg McKenna, Dallas News, 9 Sep. 2023
Though the Rebels were able to pick up the third down and get near midfield, senior captain Kris Jenkins got his first sack of the year on a bull rush up the middle to drop Brumfield and force a third down, and eventually, a punt.
—Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 9 Sep. 2023
Verb
The title tyke of Roald Dahl’s tale is a pint-size rabble-rouser who quickly wins friends at her new elementary school, and then captains a rebellion against the cruel headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, a villain who’s equal parts ice, vinegar and five o’clock shadow.
—oregonlive, 5 Sep. 2023
Griner led Team Stewart, captained by the New York Liberty’s Breanna Stewart, to a 143-127 over Team Wilson, led by the Aces’ A’ja Wilson.
—Mark Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 15 July 2023
His grandfather James Delaney Buffett captained a steamship, and his father served in the Army Corps of Engineers before raising his family in the gulf town of Mobile, Ala.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023
Morgan Harris, Howard, defensive specialist, senior Harris, who leads by example, will captain one of the area’s best programs.
—Mike Frainie, Baltimore Sun, 29 Aug. 2023
Ronaldo captains a team in the Saudi Pro League and the Portugal national team.
—Christopher Kuhagen, Journal Sentinel, 21 Aug. 2023
The Argentinian polo star acted as captain for the Singapore Polo Club Team, while Harry played for the Royal Salute Sentebale Team, which was captained by Malcolm Borwick.
—Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 12 Aug. 2023
Those stories and documentaries, shown on three screens in the exhibit, include remembrances of late LGBTQ pioneers such as Bonny Benjamin, a gay woman who captained a fishing vessel in the 1970s and employed gay women for much of her crew.
—Brian MacQuarrie, BostonGlobe.com, 13 Aug. 2023
The boats, captained by residents, have made dozens of trips and delivered thousands of pounds of supplies.
—Reis Thebault, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'captain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English capitane, from Anglo-French capitain, from Late Latin capitaneus, adjective & noun, chief, from Latin capit-, caput head — more at head
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Verb
1598, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of captain was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing captain
Articles Related to captain
Dictionary Entries Near captain
Cite this Entry
“Captain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/captain. Accessed 22 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
captain
1 of 2 noun
cap·tain
ˈkap-tən 
1
a
: the commanding officer of a military unit
b
: a military commissioned officer with a rank just below that of major
2
a
: the commanding officer of a ship
b
: a naval commissioned officer with a rank just below that of commodore
3
: a fire or police department officer with a rank usually between that of chief and lieutenant
4
a
: the leader of a team or side
b
: a person in charge of several waiters in a restaurant
captain
2 of 2 verb
: to be captain of
More from Merriam-Webster on captain
Nglish: Translation of captain for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of captain for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about captain
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