commanding officer

noun

: an officer in command

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

Synonyms of commanding officer

• 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 the character of Jessep, the commanding officer at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, is not actually the lead role in the show. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026

But the character of Jessup, commanding officer at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba, is not actually the lead role in the show. — Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 29 Oct. 2026

Mary Katey Hayes, commanding officer of USS Ted Stevens, said the crew was prepared for operational service. — Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026

Adkins costars in the movie with Hannah Ware, Steven Cree and Lundgren, 68, who portrays Harris’ commanding officer in the upcoming film. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026

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