1
as in supervising
to be in charge of
if you do well on this, you'll be asked to captain the next mission
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in governing
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 leading
to serve as leader of
you did a good job of captaining the team
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of captaining
Hayes has played under the United States Tennis Association for the past 40 years, captaining 75 teams over the last three decades.
—
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
Ronaldo later returned to the team on February 14, captaining and scoring in a 2-0 win over Al Fateh.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 21 May 2026
That changed this year, though, as Ledbetter is captaining a four-member charity team, the institute’s first ever crew of marathon runners.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the man captaining the boat that gets her into the Amazon is possessed by thoughts of a lost love, a story even a head-in-her-hands Tereza is exhausted by.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
However, Brady, alongside Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts, is captaining one of the teams.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Bryk was introduced in Season 1 as Ebon, a rough-around-the-edges Boston guy who spends his summers among the blue-blooded elite, captaining a charter boat for senators and celebrities.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2026
Mikael Granlund didn’t play for the Ducks after captaining Finland to bronze in Milan.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2026
Mikael Granlund didn't play for Anaheim after captaining Finland to bronze in Milan.
—CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
Ronaldo later returned to the team on February 14, captaining and scoring in a 2-0 win over Al Fateh.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 21 May 2026
That changed this year, though, as Ledbetter is captaining a four-member charity team, the institute’s first ever crew of marathon runners.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, the man captaining the boat that gets her into the Amazon is possessed by thoughts of a lost love, a story even a head-in-her-hands Tereza is exhausted by.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
However, Brady, alongside Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts, is captaining one of the teams.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Bryk was introduced in Season 1 as Ebon, a rough-around-the-edges Boston guy who spends his summers among the blue-blooded elite, captaining a charter boat for senators and celebrities.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2026
Mikael Granlund didn’t play for the Ducks after captaining Finland to bronze in Milan.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2026
Mikael Granlund didn't play for Anaheim after captaining Finland to bronze in Milan.
—CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captaining
Verb
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Instead of acting as intermediaries, humans focus on defining policies, supervising system behavior and handling exceptions.—
Krupesh Bhat,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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The defendant, 36, who has not been publicly identified, is accused of assaulting children while supervising them in bathrooms, during lunch breaks and in after-school care between August 2024 and April 2025.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 May 2026
Verb
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Yields spiked to multi-decade highs in recent weeks after a set of disastrous nationwide local election results for the governing Labour Party put Prime Minister Keir Starmer's premiership under pressure.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
26 May 2026
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His comments were echoed by Yair Golan, the leader of Israel’s left parliamentary bloc, which would likely be a member of any non-Netanyahu governing coalition after the election.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
25 May 2026
Verb
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It is designed to make AI models more efficient, a major goal of the leading labs.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
25 May 2026
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And in April, Anna Eskamani, the Democratic state representative who is the leading candidate for Orlando Mayor next year, publicly endorsed the effort.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
Verb
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Nepali climbers are now the ones overseeing the securing of the routes up the mountain, and the fixing of the rope lines that help clients navigate the most difficult sections.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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California refinery production has dropped by about 18% compared to around this time last year, according to both Chevron and the Fuels Watch Inputs and Production dashboard managed by the California Energy Commission, a state agency charged with overseeing energy production.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
Verb
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India’s capitalist economy is booming, and the ruling Hindu-nationalist government is crushing its above-ground leftist opponents at the ballot box.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
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Lawmakers in Vietnam elected Communist Party chief To Lam as president on April 7, 2026, the chairman of the National Assembly said, making Lam head of state as well as general secretary of the ruling party.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, Greer closed the stanza by netting two goals in a 30-second span as Cohasset constructed a commanding 9-1 lead through one.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
30 May 2026
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His superlative shot-stopping ability, commanding distribution and defining game-winning moments this season contributed substantially to the Gunners ending their 22-year wait for a Premier League trophy – this after so many recent near misses.—
Aleks Klosok,
CNN Money,
29 May 2026
Verb
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Higher-Level Human Work The real value of AI starts with efficiency by handling repetitive tasks, freeing workers to focus on more strategic, creative and judgment-driven activities, such as higher-quality decision-making and revenue generation.—
Ameya Kanitkar,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
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Ebola is transmitted via bodily fluids, so treating sick patients and handling the deceased should only be done by healthcare teams in protective suits.—
Tom Soufi Burridge,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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For Dos Santos, these challenges define the demands of managing LAFC.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
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Gameplay revolves around managing a beautiful island where time advances in real-time.—
Jason Bennett,
Arkansas Online,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captaining. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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