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

At the same time, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard commanders who had helped prop up the regime began to pack up and leave. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026

The matter eventually came to the attention of Deputy Chief Marla Ciuffetelli, the department’s top-ranking commander in the Valley. —Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026

But for the first time, America brought its top military commander in the Middle East to the table. —CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026

Al-Habil, a Hamas cell commander, was killed in the airstrike in Gaza City’s Shati refugee camp, the IDF said in a statement. —Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 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