commander

noun

com·​mand·​er kə-ˈman-dər 

1

: one in an official position of command or control: such as

a

: commanding officer

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

kə-ˈman-dər-ˌship 

noun

Synonyms

• commandant

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

The commander and the petty officer worked to restart the engines, to no avail, as Fletcher flew the aircraft and tried to find a safe landing. —Marisa Garcia, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025

At the multi-day NFL Combine-style event, hopeful commanders had to pass fitness and body fat testing before undergoing psychological evaluation. —Davis Winkie, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025

Unlike expensive satellites or large drones such as the Global Hawk, Skydweller offers commanders a cheaper option for persistent monitoring. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025

Incident commanders described the fire as spreading west at a critical rate. —Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing commander

• commander in chief
• lieutenant commander
• wing commander

Rhymes for commander

• bystander
• expander
• highlander
• leander
• meander
• philander
• brander
• candor
• dander
• gander
• grander
• hander

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

commandership

-ˌship 

noun