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

And that's why the American people put a strong commander-in-chief back in the office. —ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025

One of the kids, an athletic-looking teenager named Ladislav, told me that 1654 is organized into platoons that train with Kraken commanders. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2025

The defense secretary and president also summoned hundreds of military commanders and leaders to Virginia at the end of September to discuss the direction of America's fighting force, including a directive for all members of the military to achieve certain levels of physical fitness. —Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025

Madagascar is now under the control of Michael Randrianirina, the commander of a powerful army unit that previously supported Rajoelina’s rise to power. —Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 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