commodore

noun

com·​mo·​dore ˈkä-mə-ˌdȯr How to pronounce commodore (audio)
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

Examples of commodore in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At the Commodore Club, with its windows over the ship’s bow, the cocktails are named for past Cunard commodores. Fran Golden, Travel + Leisure, 20 July 2024 Chidester had been an officer of the boat club, acting as a commodore for the group. Detroit Free Press, 23 Apr. 2024 And in early December, Capt. James Harney was relieved as commodore of Amphibious Squadron 5, which is based in San Diego. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Dec. 2023 As commodore, Hoard gets to share the Queen Mary with visitors, taking them on tours and regaling them with stories of her past, present and future. Catherine Garcia, The Week, 3 Sep. 2023 See all Example Sentences for commodore 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commodore.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1695, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of commodore was in 1695

Dictionary Entries Near commodore

Cite this Entry

“Commodore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commodore. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

commodore

noun
com·​mo·​dore ˈkäm-ə-ˌdō(ə)r How to pronounce commodore (audio)
-ˌdȯ(ə)r
1
: a naval commissioned officer with a rank just below that of rear admiral
2
: the senior captain of a line of merchant ships
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!