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

After an initial strike left two survivors, the commander leading the operation reportedly complied with Hegseth's alleged directive by ordering a second strike, according to the report. —Kendall Wright, ABC News, 30 Nov. 2025

Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, who has led operations in Chicago, Los Angeles and Charlotte, is expected to helm the campaign, according to the AP. —Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Nov. 2025

A week before Pope Leo was due to land in Beirut, an Israeli air strike on the capital killed 57-year-old Haytham Ali Tabatabai, a senior Hezbollah military commander. —Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 30 Nov. 2025

The Special Operations commander overseeing the operation then ordered a second strike to comply with Hegseth's directive, according to two people with direct knowledge of the operation, killing both survivors. —Arkansas Online, 30 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