commanding

adjective

com·​mand·​ing kə-ˈman-diŋ 

1

: drawing attention or priority

a commanding presence

2

: difficult to overcome

a commanding lead

commandingly

kə-ˈman-diŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• presiding
• chief
• leading
• supreme
• lead
• top
• foremost
• primary
• high
• senior
• first
• principal

Examples of commanding in a Sentence

He has a very commanding voice.

She holds a commanding lead in the polls.

Our team was in a commanding position as the game neared its end.

The castle is in a commanding position at the top of the hill.

The hill provides a commanding view of the surrounding countryside.

Recent Examples on the Web

Garcia has tremendous reflexes and is a commanding presence in the box. —Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2025

Barnsdall is home to Frank Lloyd Wright’s first Los Angeles commission, Hollyhock House, with its commanding monolithic forms, geometric ornamentation, and modern take on Mayan Revival architecture. —R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025

Jeannie’s commanding presence, on stage and off, is a matter of record. —George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025

The Cherries began with a 2-1 win over Hibernian, followed by a commanding 3-0 shutout of Everton, featuring goals from Philip Billing, Dango Ouattara, and Daniel Adu-Adjei. —Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing commanding

• commanding officer
• commanding presence

Rhymes for commanding

• demanding
• disbanding
• expanding
• freestanding
• misbranding
• outstanding
• remanding
• upstanding
• withstanding
• banding
• branding
• handing