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 of commander

• 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 special prosecutor’s team has accused Yoon and his military commanders of ordering a covert drone operation into the North to inflame tensions between the neighbors and justify his martial law decree. —Reuters 2 Hr Ago, CNN Money, 10 Nov. 2025

If Running Fence was a war, Jeanne-Claude was clearly the commander. —Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025

Fort Worth commanders placed Johnson on restricted duty for the duration of the incomplete criminal and Internal Affairs Unit administrative investigations, according to a department spokesperson. —Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Nov. 2025

Pressing On Goudreau said that the operation went ahead despite Alcalá’s arrest because the general had already given it the green light before he was charged and the commanders on the ground decided to push on. —Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 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