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 capability is particularly relevant to large-scale combat operations, where commanders must maintain awareness of developments across extensive areas and multiple domains, including land, air, maritime, space and cyberspace. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 1 Nov. 2026

Andrew had been the commander of a Green Beret Team in a dangerous part of Afghanistan. — Ron Farina, Hartford Courant, 1 Nov. 2026

The indictment is connected to King’s placement on administrative leave of a top commander who was one of two people whose report of the harassment of an office training coordinator spurred a criminal investigation. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2026

The action follows sanctions on Rwanda’s army and four senior commanders in March and on a Kigali gold refinery in June. — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026

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