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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of captaining
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
Aaron Benjamin, 30, drowned on February 19 while solo-captaining a raft in Hance Rapid, a formidable section of the Colorado River.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 23 Feb. 2026
And so perhaps captaining a team to an Olympic gold medal will change the way Matthews is seen in the hockey world.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
That 2023 tournament generated tremendous international excitement, with superstars such as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto competing for Japan; Francisco Lindor captaining Puerto Rico; and Juan Soto leading the Dominican Republic.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
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
Aaron Benjamin, 30, drowned on February 19 while solo-captaining a raft in Hance Rapid, a formidable section of the Colorado River.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 23 Feb. 2026
And so perhaps captaining a team to an Olympic gold medal will change the way Matthews is seen in the hockey world.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
That 2023 tournament generated tremendous international excitement, with superstars such as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto competing for Japan; Francisco Lindor captaining Puerto Rico; and Juan Soto leading the Dominican Republic.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captaining
Verb
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The lawsuit argues that Magic City's operators, APS Valet and its leadership, and other affiliated entities were negligent in hiring, training and supervising security personnel, and in allowing armed security to operate in areas accessible to the public without proper safeguards.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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The Rose Bud native will serve a one-year term representing student interests while assisting the council in supervising chapter affairs and aligning local initiatives with national American Society for Public Administration policies.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The district denies the labor violations, and both sides have filed accusations against the other with the state labor governing body.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
-
What many retirees and near-retirees don't realize, though, is that the rules governing debt collection shift considerably once retirement income enters the picture.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The league unveiled the three leading vote getters for all of its individual awards Sunday.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
20 Apr. 2026
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The Lakers were connected, apparently having had time to adjust to the loss of their two leading scorers, LeBron James acting as a brilliant playmaker for scorching hot shooters like Kennard, who hit all five of his treys in scoring a career playoff-high 27 points.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That included a new pair of coordinators — Chris Marve, the defensive boss, and Brennan Marion, who’s overseeing the offense.—
Pat Graham,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
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Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, a powerful figure within Iran’s political system, is heading the team and is overseeing the overall direction of the negotiations.—
Dalia Abdelwahab,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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While there was broad cross-party support for increasing women’s representation, opposition parties warned that redrawing voting boundaries and expanding the size of Parliament could shift the political balance in favor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Despite Hungary becoming one of Europe’s top production hubs over the past half-decade, Káel has been widely criticized for his ties to the ruling Fidesz party and the end of his mandate comes as no surprise.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Prediction markets showed a sharp dropoff in users’ confidence that Swalwell would win the race; both markets showed Steyer as the leading candidate Friday afternoon, reversing the commanding lead Swalwell held for months.—
Lia Russell,
Sacbee.com,
11 Apr. 2026
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Defending champion Rory McIlroy, at 12-under-par, holds a commanding 6-shot lead over Sam Burns and Patrick Reed.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The agency's Majorr Crimes Unit is handling the investigation.—
Matthew Rodriguez,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Other features land somewhere in the middle, including a high-pivot rear suspension for cushioning against potholes and handling light trail use, as well as turn signals.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Despite Magic guard Desmond Bane, clearly under the weather, struggling from beyond the arc but still managing to contribute 17 points.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
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Vellimalar, a social worker and managing trustee of the company, works with as many as 500 women farmers in the region, explaining government policies, assisting them with loans, and providing farming assistance.—
Kamala Thiagarajan,
NPR,
19 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captaining. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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