commander
noun
com·mand·er
kə-ˈman-dər 
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
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
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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
Phrases Containing commander
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.
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Kids Definition
commander
noun
com·mand·er
kə-ˈman-dər
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
More from Merriam-Webster on commander
Nglish: Translation of commander for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of commander for Arabic Speakers
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