commanding officer

noun

: an officer in command

especially : an officer in the armed forces in command of an organization or installation

Synonyms

• commander
• commandant

Examples of commanding officer in a Sentence

He reported the incident to his commanding officer.

reported directly to the fort's commanding officer

Recent Examples on the Web

But when he gets posted to another town, Giorgio becomes involved with Fosca (Brittney Brown), the cousin of his commanding officer, an obsessive, hyper-intense woman disfigured by epilepsy and capable of love on a level that Giorgio had not previously conceived as even humanly possible. —Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 4 Aug. 2025

Nolan Cuevas, commanding officer of the Cutter Tahoma. —Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 30 July 2025

Among those lobbying for looser rules in the Inspiration Point lot were Captain Robert Healy, commanding officer of Naval Base San Diego and Balboa Medical Center in the park. —David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 July 2025

Walker's 17-and-a-half-year journey with DPD included serving as the commanding officer for the Detroit Police Athletic League during the later stages of her law enforcement career. —Scott Talley, Freep.com, 4 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1720, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

commanding officer

noun

: an officer having charge of a military or naval unit, organization, or base