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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captaining
Verb
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Athletic coaches, people responding to emergencies, people supervising inmates, custodians, and people helping children who need bathroom assistance get a pass.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The transit operator has been accused in the past of not properly supervising contract security personnel who occasionally used excessive force.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Brilliant, strong, visionary, a far different approach to governing as that nation’s first woman leader.—
Kevin Powell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Despite these risks, the five-year plans governing the expensive and time-consuming cleanups at the sites often failed to account for damage posed by flooding from sea-level rise and more frequent storms and wildfire, the IG’s review found.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Sunday’s match, which was interrupted by rain with Siniakova/Townsend leading 6-5 in the first set, was a rematch of the Indian Wells semifinals, where Siniakova/Townsend won 6-2, 6-2.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
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There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with this, but outsourcing the writing to professionals only underscored the degree to which this humble document, once meant to blunt the puffery of the cover letter, had now become the leading weapon in the job seeker’s arsenal.—
Stephen Mihm,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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He was recently confirmed as the assistant attorney general overseeing the new division at the department focused on prosecuting fraud.—
Michelle L. Price,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
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The judge, Honorable Michael McNally of Michigan’s 33rd District Court, posed the question while overseeing a case on Wednesday, March 25.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
-
Then, on April 24, Venus, your ruling planet, moves into Gemini, followed closely by Uranus.—
Kirah Tabourn,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One is by Clare Harner and the other is by Henry Scott Holland, and both approach death with tenderness, but also with a commanding tone fitting the imperious Ann.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Willis, who signed a three-year, $45 million contract, could be commanding $50 million or more per season in the summer of 2028.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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There is a lot of breathless talk of autonomous agents reshaping every corner of corporate America, from handling sales calls to writing code to managing supply chains.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
26 Mar. 2026
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Two civil rights lawyers who were involved in at least some of the past discussions — Andrew Braniff and Jesus Osete — are currently handling appeals in three separate cases, after federal judges denied the Justice Department's request to hand over the voter rolls.—
Sarah N. Lynch,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Cooking, handling special requests and managing busy environments still depend on people.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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Wait times listed on the MyTSA mobile app may not be accurate because TSA isn’t actively managing its sites during the shutdown.—
John Raby,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captaining. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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