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

To develop the system, Earth Fire Alliance conducted hundreds of interviews firefighters, incident commanders and scientists worldwide to identify gaps in existing fire data, Kapusta said. — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026

The extended range allows commanders to engage high-value, stationary targets such as command posts, air defense systems, and logistics hubs from much farther away. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 8 July 2026

According to a post from Josh Gill, the commander of the United Cajun Navy, a volunteer organization that helped with the search, Wells wanted to stay on the island to talk with a girl. — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 8 July 2026

Military career After Barak’s tenure ended in 2001, Eisenkot was given positions as a commander of armed divisions. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 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