captain

1 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 commander, skip, skipper Related Words sea captain; master, pilot; commanding officer; admiral, commodore, vice admiral; mate, officer Near Antonyms crew, crewman, crewmate

2 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 commander, commandant, commanding officerRelated Words commissioned officer, field officer

3 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 boss man, boss, chief, foreman, head, headman, helmsman, honcho, jefe, kingpin, leader, master, taskmasterRelated Words directress, mistress; administrator, commander, director, executive, general, governor, hierarch, higher-up; leadman, manager, overseer, principal, skipper, standard-bearer, steward, straw boss, superintendent, superior, supervisor; dominator, lord, overlord, potentate, ruler, sovereign (also sovran); figurehead; slave driver; baron, czar (also tsar or tzar), king, magnate, mogul, president, prince; big cheese, big gun, bigwig, top dog, top gun; cohead, coleader; employer, gaffer [British], ganger [British]; micromanager; subchief, subdirectorNear Antonyms dependent, inferior, junior, secondary, subject, subordinate, underling

4 a person of rank, power, or influence in a particular field a fascinating magazine article profiling the captains of the American auto industry Synonyms baron, magnate, czar (also tsar or tzar), king, lion, lord, mogul, monarch, Napoleon, prince, tycoonRelated Words big boy, big cheese, bigfoot, biggie, big gun, big shot, big wheel, bigwig, fat cat, figure, heavy, heavyweight, honcho, kahuna, main man, mover and shaker, nabob, nawab, notable, personage, pooh-bah (also poo-bah), supremo [chiefly British], VIP; celebrity, personality, star, superstar; deity, demigod, godNear Antonyms half-pint, lightweight, small-timer; inferior, subordinate, underling; nobody, nothing, zero