plural captains
1
: a person who is in charge of a ship or an airplane
The captain has turned off the "fasten seat belt" sign.
Captain Ahab
2
: an officer of high rank in some branches of the military
an army/navy captain
3
chiefly US
: an officer of high rank in a police or fire department
4
: an athlete who is chosen to be the leader of a team
She was the captain of our team. = She was our team captain.
captains; captained; captaining
: to be the captain of (something): such as
a
: to be in charge of (a ship or airplane)
The ship was captained by John Smith.
b
: to lead (a team)
She captained last year's team.
Cite this Entry
“Captain.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/captain. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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