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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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

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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 Les Misérables Tony nominee can be seen bare-chested in a lavish captain’s coat with plenty of jewelry. Jack Smart, People.com, 18 Apr. 2025 The team’s captain, however, doesn’t want to settle for anything less than victory. Daniel Eduardo Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
Claim the Conn Smythe while captaining a team to a Stanley Cup championship? James Mirtle, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025 With Adames captaining the infield, Fitzgerald will slide over to second base. Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for captain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captain
Noun
  • North Korean troops are further disadvantaged by the crude tactics of their Russian commanders, who have sent them into assault campaigns without providing rear-fire support, the spy agency told lawmakers in January.
    Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025
  • Hamas’ top military commander, Mohammad Deif, was killed during a strike in July 2024.
    Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Her departure follows earlier dismissals of Admiral Linda Fagan, who had been serving as Coast Guard commandant, and Admiral Lisa Franchetti, previously nominated to lead the Navy.
    Gordon G. Chang, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Apr. 2025
  • One of Trump’s earliest actions was relieving the commandant of the Coast Guard.
    Varad Mehta, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 7 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Other world leaders in attendance included include UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Britain's Prince William, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
    Mike Snider, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2025
  • Taking to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Thursday, April 24, Trump called out Russia’s leader over a deadly attack on Kyiv, Ukraine.
    Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 26 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Sue Ellen, who was married to philandering oil tycoon J.R.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 26 Apr. 2025
  • In episode 8 of season 1, oil tycoon Monty Miller (Jon Hamm) suffers a heart attack and is seen recovering in the hospital.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • But, because the government would need time to craft new rules and infrastructure, the court would temporarily supervise the detention of minors.
    Jack Herrera, New Yorker, 23 Apr. 2025
  • Holmes argues the church failed to supervise Lorch and, worse yet, retained him, thus enabling Lorch to allegedly inflict even more harms.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Earlier this month, SCOTUS lifted an injunction that barred deportations under the AEA and ruled that any person the administration sought to deport under the proclamation must be given due process.
    Laura Romero, ABC News, 20 Apr. 2025
  • Then: Banana Clips The banana clip was a hair accessory that ruled the 1980s, similarly to scrunchies and claw clips.
    Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 20 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • Isaacman is a billionaire pilot and astronaut who founded the Shift4 Payments company as a teenager and commanded the first civilian space crew in 2021 aboard a SpaceX capsule.
    Karen Freifeld, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025
  • Isaacman funded and commanded Polaris Dawn, a private SpaceX flight that circled Earth for nearly five days last September.
    Mike Wall, Space.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Most America’s Cup skippers have barely embarked on their first campaign at his age, let alone won three.
    Andrew Rice, New York Times, 22 Apr. 2025
  • The Australians never quite hit their stride, as skipper Tom Slingsby acknowledged.
    Andrew Rice, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Captain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captain. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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