commander

noun

com·​mand·​er kə-ˈman-dər How to pronounce commander (audio)
1
: one in an official position of command or control: such as
b
: the presiding officer of a society or organization
2
: a commissioned officer in the navy or coast guard ranking above a lieutenant commander and below a captain
commandership noun

Examples of commander in a Sentence

a surrender of the fort by the commander without a single shot having been fired the intrepid commander of the HMS Surprise
Recent Examples on the Web Sometimes, said the commander, a 26-year-old senior lieutenant who goes by the call sign Black, the Ukrainians will have to pull back and his job will be to destroy the Ukrainian fortifications so the Russians cannot use them. Marc Santora Tyler Hicks, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023 The militant Islamic Jihad group claimed the three dead as members and identified one as a local commander. Wafaa Shurafa, arkansasonline.com, 18 Nov. 2023 Eight senior Hamas commanders, including bomb makers and developers of Qassam rockets, had met for lunch on the ground floor of a Gaza home. Laura Blumenfeld, WSJ, 16 Nov. 2023 Senior military commanders, including the commander of the U.S. Pacific forces in Hawaii, will engage with his Chinese counterparts, the official said. Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023 The event included remarks by military guest of honor, Rear Adm. Yvette M. Davids, acting commander, Naval Surface Forces, acting commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. U-T Staff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Nov. 2023 Early in this season, veteran astronaut Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall) takes over as commander of Happy Valley, the Mars base jointly operated by the American, Soviet, and North Korean governments, along with the tech company Helios. Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2023 On Monday, the president personally announced that the brigade commander, Dmytro Lysiuk, had been suspended while the investigation continues. Anastacia Galouchka, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023 In this massive operation, however, Allied commanders became uncertain of the location of the doughboys of the Lost Battalion, who soon fell under attack from both enemy German artillery, as well as friendly fire from the Americans. Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commander.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of commander was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near commander

Cite this Entry

“Commander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commander. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

commander

noun
com·​mand·​er kə-ˈman-dər How to pronounce commander (audio)
1
: one in official command especially of a military force or base
2
: a naval commissioned officer with a rank just below that of captain
commandership noun

More from Merriam-Webster on commander

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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