commodore

noun com·mo·dore \ ˈkä-mə-ˌdȯr \

Definition of commodore

1 a : a captain in the navy in command of a squadron

b : a commissioned officer in the navy formerly ranking above captain and below rear admiral and having an insignia of one star

2 : the ranking officer commanding a body of merchant ships

3 : the chief officer of a yacht club or boating association

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Recent Examples of commodore from the Web

An election for commodore hadn’t been contested in more than 20 years, notes The Chronicle’s Carl Nolte, man about the Bay Area.

— leah garchik, San Francisco Chronicle, "Strife in the gym over what to watch on TV," 12 Dec. 2017
Horn was a member and former commodore of the Mount Dora Yacht Club, and the Mount Dora Kiwanis Club, and also served in the military (U.S. Navy).Mr.

— orlando sentinel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Deaths in Central Florida: 11/3," 3 Nov. 2017
Garner, the Fairhope Yacht Club’s former commodore, was dismissive of the Coast Guard’s investigation.

— brian schutmaat, Smithsonian, "Racing the Storm: The Story of the Mobile Bay Sailing Disaster," 25 Apr. 2015
Bill Ellis, the commodore of Task Force 67, the U.S. sub-hunting planes in Europe.

— julian e. barnes, WSJ, "A Russian Ghost Submarine, its U.S. Pursuers and a Deadly New Cold War," 20 Oct. 2017
The first member of the Levy family to own Monticello was Uriah Phillips Levy, a decorated naval officer who served as the first Jewish commodore of the U.S. Navy.

— rachel siegel, Washington Post, "Neo-Nazis rallied around Jefferson’s statue. But it was a Jewish family that saved Monticello.," 23 Aug. 2017
On this week's On the Radar, cleveland.com meteorologist Kelly Reardon talks to the North Coast Women's Sailing Association commodore, Shauna Welch, to learn about the challenges facing Northeast Ohio sailors.

— emily bamforth & kelly reardon, cleveland.com, "How does Cleveland's weather affect sailing? On the Radar with Kelly Reardon," 18 July 2017
In mix for No. 1 overall pick after outstanding season for Commodores.

— dennis waszak jr., The Denver Post, "A look at the top prospects for 2017 MLB draft," 11 June 2017
The Commodores will face eighth seed UNLV on Tuesday.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Illinois advances to match play in NCAA men's golf championship," 29 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commodore.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of commodore

probably modification of Dutch commandeur commander, from French, from Old French comandeor, from comander to command

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1695

See Words from the same year

Other Nautical Terms

avast, aweigh, flotsam, jib, keel, lee, port, starboard, stay

COMMODORE Defined for English Language Learners

commodore

noun

Definition of commodore for English Language Learners

: a high-ranking officer in the navy
: the person who is in charge of a yachting or boating club

COMMODORE Defined for Kids

commodore

noun com·mo·dore \ ˈkä-mə-ˌdȯr \

Definition of commodore for Students

: an officer of high rank in the navy

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See words that rhyme with commodore Spanish Central: Translation of commodore Nglish: Translation of commodore for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about commodore

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commodore

Definition of commodore

Recent Examples of commodore from the Web

Origin and Etymology of commodore

Other Nautical Terms

COMMODORE Defined for English Language Learners

commodore

Definition of commodore for English Language Learners

COMMODORE Defined for Kids

commodore

Definition of commodore for Students

Learn More about commodore

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