1
as in commandant
one in official command especially of a military force or base
a surrender of the fort by the commander without a single shot having been fired
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in captain
a person in overall command of a ship
the intrepid commander of the HMS Surprise
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of commander
The aircraft carrier My Mother’s Wedding also includes the unexpected wow factor in the ginormous Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales used in scenes involving Johansson’s naval commander.
—
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025
He was selected as a backup commander for Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission in June 1969.
—Patricio Chile, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2025
Spacecraft commander Zena Cardman leads the mission, designated Crew-11, with three others aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule: veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui of Japan, and Oleg Platonov of Russia.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 8 Aug. 2025
And now at least two CPD district councils plan to hold symbolic no-confidence votes in John Foster, commander of Area 5 detectives, who oversees the investigations into the most serious crimes across the Northwest Side.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commander
Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 8 Aug. 2025
He was selected as a backup commander for Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission in June 1969.
—Patricio Chile, ABC News, 8 Aug. 2025
Spacecraft commander Zena Cardman leads the mission, designated Crew-11, with three others aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule: veteran NASA astronaut Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui of Japan, and Oleg Platonov of Russia.
—Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 8 Aug. 2025
And now at least two CPD district councils plan to hold symbolic no-confidence votes in John Foster, commander of Area 5 detectives, who oversees the investigations into the most serious crimes across the Northwest Side.
—Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commander
Noun
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The commandant had also stayed behind, in his office.—
Charles Pellegrino,
Rolling Stone,
6 Aug. 2025
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Prior to her appointment to commandant, Fagan served in several other leadership roles, including as vice commandant and commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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All the serious rodeo contestants seemed to know someone who had local property rights, or paid a charter captain who did.—
Nathaniel Rich,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
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Training camp officially wrapped up Tuesday with the Tigers introducing nine team captains for the 2025 season.—
Zach Sweet,
Kansas City Star,
20 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Potter is concerned about the lack of leaders, but has seen Bowen grow into his role as skipper.—
Roshane Thomas,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
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Plants bloom throughout most of the year, attracting a diversity of skippers and butterflies, including Queens and the endangered Miami blue butterfly.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
19 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commander. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
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