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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to command
to serve as leader of
you did a good job of captaining the team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of captain
Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
No captain has ever won three straight.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Seattle is bringing back receiver Jake Bobo, swing tackle Josh Jones, fullback and special teams captain Brady Russell, nose tackle Brandon Pili, safety AJ Finley, cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles, safety D’Anthony Bell and long snapper Chris Stoll.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for captain
Noun
Their commander is Wiseman, a retired Navy captain who lived aboard the space station in 2014 and later headed NASA’s astronaut corps.
—Marcia Dunn, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
No captain has ever won three straight.
—ABC News, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
Tigertail, 36, who captains airboat tours through the Everglades, is navigating his boat through the only route available given how dry the park has gotten this year.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Seattle is bringing back receiver Jake Bobo, swing tackle Josh Jones, fullback and special teams captain Brady Russell, nose tackle Brandon Pili, safety AJ Finley, cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles, safety D’Anthony Bell and long snapper Chris Stoll.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for captain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captain
Noun
-
Borman, the commander, insisted on as few lunar orbits as possible given the risks.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Ghalibaf is importantly a former senior Revolutionary Guard commander and a close adviser to Mojtaba Khamenei.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
With a German commandant enraged, Edmonds stood his ground and invoked prisoners' rights under international law.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The controversial wording was later removed after two Democratic lawmakers put a hold on Lunday’s nomination for commandant until the manual was changed.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The protest, organized by national anti-death penalty organizations Death Penalty Action and Worth Rise, was attended mostly by local faith leaders and members.—
Sally Krutzig,
Idaho Statesman,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Thousands of people are calling on Charlotte leaders to stop a data center from setting up shop southeast of Reedy Creek Nature Preserve.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Steyer has most pointedly taken aim at tech company tycoons who have put millions into San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s campaign for governor.—
ANDREW GRAHAM,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Oil tycoon Wilmer Ruperti showed up for a meeting with Venezuela’s intelligence agency last Thursday.—
Eleanor Mueller,
semafor.com,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The drones then fly themselves to the location of a call, and are supervised by a drone operator.—
Dillon Thomas,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
-
While the mayor campaigned on educating kids as young as 6 weeks, his plans so far have started with 2-year-old children, who are typically less complicated — and costly — to supervise than infants.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the challenge in the middle of oral arguments, even while ruling against the civil rights of Japanese American citizens in other cases considered at the same time.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Minnesota public universities can continue to offer in-state tuition and scholarships to some immigrants in the country without legal status, a federal judge ruled on Friday, dismissing a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice last summer that attempted to halt the programs.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Naturally, his son Barron is more than ready to defend the country his father so boldly commands.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
City Councilmember Nithya Raman had a commanding lead, with 33% of voters supporting her, while Bass trailed at 17%, according to the poll by the Loyola Marymount University Center for the Study of Los Angeles.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The newest team skipper had an 11-year pro ball career; specifically, 553 games across seven major league seasons.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Ex-Marlins manager Skip Schumaker will take the reins from four-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy, who did not return as the club’s skipper.—
Jack Vita,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captain. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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