captain

1 of 2

noun

cap·​tain ˈkap-tən 

also ˈkap-ᵊm

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

ˈkap-tən-sē 

noun

captainship

ˈkap-tən-ˌship 

noun

captain

2 of 2

verb

captained; captaining; captains

transitive verb

: to be captain of : lead

captained the football team

Synonyms of captain

Noun

• commander
• skipper

Verb

• supervise
• oversee
• handle
• command
• boss
• manage
• steer

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

Noun

Feehan, a first lieutenant who was killed Saturday, will be posthumously promoted to the rank of captain and awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. — ABC News, 22 July 2026

Rodriguez joined Madrid in 2020 upon the women’s team’s formation, became club captain in 2025 and holds the record for the most appearances (215). — Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Verb

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are set to announce that Root will captain the team for the three-Test series against Pakistan that begins on August 19 and beyond, most likely taking in next year’s Ashes. — Paul Newman, New York Times, 24 July 2026

Verhoeff is not only expected to be a big part of North Dakota’s blue line this upcoming season but will likely once again play at the World Junior Championships, possibly captaining the Canadian team with the tournament taking place in Edmonton. — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 24 July 2026

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

Phrases Containing captain

• bell captain
• captain of industry
• captain's chair
• captain's mast
• co-captain
• group captain
• sea captain

Rhymes for captain

• captan
• hapten
• mercaptan

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

captaincy

-sē 

noun

captain

2 of 2 verb

: to be captain of

Etymology

Noun

Middle English capitane "military leader," from early French capitain (same meaning), from Latin capitaneus "chief," from caput "head" — related to cadet, capital, chief