captain 1 of 2

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

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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

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3
4

captain

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of captain
Noun
The Republican National Committee is now providing personnel, including five full-time staffers, 50 county captains over 15,000 volunteers, who include attorneys and poll workers, per the committee. ABC News, 4 Nov. 2025 Based on his observations around Whitefish Point, Lynn said captains have a greater willingness to drop anchor and wait out a storm rather than risking it and powering through. Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
The dessert win was a long time coming for Circle City Sweets’ Hawkins, who also captained the Team Indiana group that entered 15 teams of chefs in all 10 categories. Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 20 Oct. 2025 Clendenen was promoted to captain in August 2024 and served in the Eastern Division for a year before transferring to Northern. Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for captain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captain
Noun
  • If Running Fence was a war, Jeanne-Claude was clearly the commander.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Iran has also plotted to assassinate senior US officials, especially after the killing of IRGC commander Qassem Soleimani in January 2020.
    Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • One of their leaders, a colonel of the Russian National Guard named Sergei Dovgan, began to act as the commandant of the surrounding town.
    Simon Shuster, Time, 23 Oct. 2025
  • On January 21, one day into the new presidency, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security fired Admiral Linda Fagan, the first female commandant of the Coast Guard, without stating a reason.
    Max Boot, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The president worked with Gifford Pinchot—the US Forest Service’s first leader—on a publicity campaign in this realm, and came to appoint a commission in 1903 that held public hearings and investigations the president knew would grab headlines.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Sustainable transformation isn’t achieved by a mandate; instead, it’s driven by leaders who focus on people first.
    Feon Ang, Fortune, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • One of the collections comes from Walmart tycoon Jack Shewmaker, which features a plethora of rare pickup trucks.
    Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Tabor Opera House Built in 1879 by mining tycoon Horace Tabor, the Tabor Opera House is a Victorian-era landmark in the heart of downtown that still hosts live theater, concerts, and community events.
    Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The boards for the district develop and approve policies for the schools; hire, supervise and evaluate the superintendent; and approve budgets set by the superintendent.
    The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Nov. 2025
  • Laurie Orlando, who has supervised talent recruitment and strategy at CBS News for nearly a decade, is leaving the Paramount Skydance operation — the latest of the news division’s senior executives to exit as the parent company overhauls its operations under an iconoclastic new editor in chief.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • The officials were fooled, ruling it incomplete.
    The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Two federal judges ruled on October 31 that the administration needed to at least partially fund the benefits using an agency contingency fund of about $5 billion.
    Leah Douglas, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Paramount has made three offers to acquire the company, which is expected to command in the range of $60 billion, though WBD is also fielding interest in its studios-and-streaming division.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Early on in the second quarter, Seattle had a commanding 28-0 lead.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • That decision could come as soon as this week, leaving the next skipper to assemble a coaching staff.
    Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Nov. 2025
  • The team will hire 33-year-old Blake Butera as their new skipper, per multiple reports.
    Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 30 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Captain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captain. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.

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