1
as in commander
a person in overall command of a ship
the captain is responsible for everything that happens to his ship in the course of a voyage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in commandant
one in official command especially of a military force or base
the captain of the largest army ever marshaled for battle in this country
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in leader
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do
we only do what the captain tells us to, so it's not our fault when things don't work out
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in tycoon
a person of rank, power, or influence in a particular field
a fascinating magazine article profiling the captains of the American auto industry
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to supervise
to be in charge of
if you do well on this, you'll be asked to captain the next mission
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to rule
to exercise authority or power over
captained the project for a few days while the boss was out of town
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3
as in to command
to serve as leader of
you did a good job of captaining the team
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of captain
Michael Cuglietta, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2025
Payouts varied from 55 cents for Los Angeles County public safety dispatcher Jorge Ortiz to Randy England, a CHP captain in Mendocino County, who cashed out just short of $400,000.
—Amelia Wu, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Hato, who has made 111 first-team appearances for Ajax and has captained the side, featured primarily as a left-back in 2024-25 but also played as a centre-back.
—David Ornstein, New York Times, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for captain
Noun
Rina would go on to become club captain and work to recruit more girls.
—Michael Cuglietta, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Aug. 2025
Payouts varied from 55 cents for Los Angeles County public safety dispatcher Jorge Ortiz to Randy England, a CHP captain in Mendocino County, who cashed out just short of $400,000.
—Amelia Wu, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
This time around, Clark was captaining her team from the sidelines, and critics of the league seemed eager to point out the precipitous drop in ratings.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 27 July 2025
Hato, who has made 111 first-team appearances for Ajax and has captained the side, featured primarily as a left-back in 2024-25 but also played as a centre-back.
—David Ornstein, New York Times, 28 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for captain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captain
Noun
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Residents at the Slate Apartment complex in Bellevue evacuated a 12-unit block shortly before 11 a.m. Saturday due to what Nashville Fire Department’s Aaron Haddix, the commander on scene, said was called in as an appliance fire.—
Angele Latham,
The Tennessean,
16 Aug. 2025
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National Guard patrol provokes insults, approvals National Guardsmen first appeared on this deployment in front of the Washington Monument on Aug. 12, according to photos posted by commanders and news reports.—
Cybele Mayes-Osterman,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
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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Trump has signaled Zelensky would not participate in Friday’s summit, though the US president previewed his plans to phone Kyiv immediately after the meeting, along with other European leaders, to brief them.—
Victoria Butenko,
CNN Money,
12 Aug. 2025
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But respectful debate has given way to vitriol, amplified by leaders who use division as a political tool.—
Krutika Kuppalli,
Time,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The question is why the private-equity tycoon, who has spent millions buying and renovating homes in locales including Colorado, California and France, rented that particular property from that particular person.—
Dan Alexander,
Forbes.com,
9 Aug. 2025
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The tech tycoon left the White House in May, publicly decrying Trump.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The focus is no longer on doing the process, but on designing, supervising and improving it.—
Dutt Kalluri,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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The official supervising Ghana’s effort to build its first nuclear plant admitted to Semafor last year that the country would miss its own 2030 deadline.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Before the execution, a lower court agreed and ordered the device shut off, according to the AP, but Tennessee’s Supreme Court overturned the decision, ruling the judge lacked authority to intervene.—
Christina Coulter,
People.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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But after an arbitration court ruled last month in Chevron’s favor over its contested acquisition of Hess, the mammoth firms are feeling upbeat.—
Tim McDonnell,
semafor.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Once backed only by a small group of progressive Democrats, Sanders’s monthslong effort to block weapons transfers now commands the support of more than half the Senate Democratic Caucus.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Aug. 2025
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Additionally, Debrah commanded that all flags in Ghana be flown at half-staff until further notice.—
Meredith Kile,
People.com,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Benches cleared during a chaotic eighth inning at Angel Stadium on Tuesday night, leading to a war of words between Texas Rangers manager Bruce Bochy and interim Los Angeles skipper Ray Montgomery.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
30 July 2025
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The alternative is chartering your own boat with a skipper and staff, as well as drinks and snacks.—
JOE YOGERST,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Captain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captain. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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