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
Ground teams regained communications with Orion commander Reid Wiseman after a six-minute blackout.
—
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Apr. 2026
Wiseman, the mission’s commander, was last to exit.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 11 Apr. 2026
The commander-in-chief loves chaos, pitting one side against the other.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
The four astronauts aboard Artemis II — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch of NASA and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency — are set to return to Earth Friday, April 10, and splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commander
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Apr. 2026
Wiseman, the mission’s commander, was last to exit.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 11 Apr. 2026
The commander-in-chief loves chaos, pitting one side against the other.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
The four astronauts aboard Artemis II — commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch of NASA and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency — are set to return to Earth Friday, April 10, and splash down in the Pacific Ocean.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commander
Noun
-
Previously, warfare was about expensive platforms and precision strikes, driving a downsizing in military forces as countries increasingly relied on cutting-edge technology, said Blythe Crawford, former commandant of the RAF’s Air and Space Warfare Centre.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
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About 90 minutes after the lockdown took effect, the Naval Academy’s deputy commandant emailed students, telling them that as law enforcement worked to secure the school, a midshipman mistook police for a threat and engaged them, according to the official.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Golden Knights captain Mark Stone played his 400th game for the franchise.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Having already won the Atlantic Division title, Buffalo (50-23-9) rested numerous starters, including captain Rasmus Dahlin and scoring leader Tage Thompson.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Conner remains the winningest skipper in N2E history, dominating Best Elapsed Time seven times between 1989 and 1996 aboard the 60-foot catamaran Stars and Stripes.—
Richard Dunn,
Oc Register,
16 Apr. 2026
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Chennai buckled down Kolkata to 36-2 in the power play despite Ajinkya Rahane demoting himself down the order after the skipper struggled to give his team strong starts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commander. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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