1
as in supervising
to be in charge of
if you do well on this, you'll be asked to captain the next mission
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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
The 6-foot-3 forward, currently captaining the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League, is his own player and a legitimate NHL prospect.
—
Peter Baugh, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
The former UConn women’s basketball star is captaining the youngest team in the 3-on-3 league this year, which features four first-time Unrivaled players with an average age of just 24 years old.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 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
The United States team went on to sweep to the gold medal, with Wilson as captaining the team and winning tournament MVP.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Pat Rafter, who is assisting tennis legend and former Bay Area resident Andre Agassi in captaining Team World, certainly knows his squad is facing quite a challenge in trying to stop Alcaraz.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Co-captaining the Time Bandit, the veteran fishermen kicked off a modern-day gold rush — but the race for the rare crab took a dangerous turn when chaos erupted aboard the Titan Explorer and forced Captain Jake Anderson’s crew to abandon ship.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
From being seen as a rugby reject to captaining an NFL team and winning a Super Bowl, Mailata’s story is proof that with dedication and hard work, international athletes can reach the pinnacle of American football.
—Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Around the same time, Emily Bode’s father was captaining his high school football team, which inspired her to choose the silhouette for the collaboration and heavily influenced the retro aesthetic of the marketing.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Peter Baugh, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
The former UConn women’s basketball star is captaining the youngest team in the 3-on-3 league this year, which features four first-time Unrivaled players with an average age of just 24 years old.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 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
The United States team went on to sweep to the gold medal, with Wilson as captaining the team and winning tournament MVP.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Pat Rafter, who is assisting tennis legend and former Bay Area resident Andre Agassi in captaining Team World, certainly knows his squad is facing quite a challenge in trying to stop Alcaraz.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Co-captaining the Time Bandit, the veteran fishermen kicked off a modern-day gold rush — but the race for the rare crab took a dangerous turn when chaos erupted aboard the Titan Explorer and forced Captain Jake Anderson’s crew to abandon ship.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
From being seen as a rugby reject to captaining an NFL team and winning a Super Bowl, Mailata’s story is proof that with dedication and hard work, international athletes can reach the pinnacle of American football.
—Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Around the same time, Emily Bode’s father was captaining his high school football team, which inspired her to choose the silhouette for the collaboration and heavily influenced the retro aesthetic of the marketing.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captaining
Verb
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And for supervising sound editor Al Nelson, now Oscar-nominated for his work on the film, that meant getting up close and personal to the powerful cars whizzing around corners on the tracks.—
Beatrice Verhoeven,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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These workers keep companies running smoothly, often supervising multiple teams, the report says.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Then the governing federations for each individual Olympic sport would need to vote to end their bans.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
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Fidesz has not released a program, arguing that after governing for 16 years, its voters know what kinds of policies to expect.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Muji Vader erupted for 25 points, leading unbeaten Minuteman (18-0) to a 39-22 win over Greater Lowell.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Investigators have still not zeroed in on a leading motive for her disappearance, a source told CNN.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That was far-right Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir’s first full year overseeing the police.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
15 Feb. 2026
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Border security is not the mission of the GLO, and using this office for that purpose distracts from its core responsibilities, managing public land, supporting public education, assisting veterans, and overseeing disaster recovery.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His father was an advisor to the ruling Al Maktoum family and Sulayem played a key role in the ascendance of Dubai as an economic hub.—
Emma Graham,Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
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Lawsuits hamper National Guard deployments Every deployment except the one in New Orleans has faced significant legal challenges, with multiple judges ruling the mobilizations unlawful.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Neither team shot particularly well from 3-point range but Vanderbilt (21-4, 8-4 SEC) owned a commanding advantage at the free-throw line.—
American Statesman staff,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
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Baseball’s contemporary problem is defending ground rather than commanding it.—
Rick Burton,
Sportico.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With the passage of the INA, Congress tasked immigration courts with handling removal proceedings, thereby stripping district courts of jurisdiction over immigration matters.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
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The brain is also far more adept at handling things like ambiguity, subtlety, and nuance.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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City staff is evaluating options for managing the orchard, including working with existing staff.—
Anne Gelhaus,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
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With a dual perspective, this novel follows Maya managing her grief and facing the past while mothers in China are forced to give up their own daughters.—
Amanda Favazza,
Southern Living,
15 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captaining. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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