Synonyms of captaining

captaining

verb

present participle of captain

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

• supervising
• overseeing
• handling
• managing
• commanding
• heading
• steering
• superintending
• guiding
• running
• directing
• controlling
• overlooking
• bossing
• watching over
• administering
• quarterbacking
• ordering
• showing
• riding herd on
• shepherding
• calling the tune (for)
• monitoring
• calling the shots (of)
• governing
• reigning
• presiding (over)
• ruling

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

• governing
• ruling
• controlling
• dominating
• managing
• commanding
• dictating
• presiding (over)
• overseeing
• administering
• bossing
• leading
• domineering
• swaying
• supervising
• conducting
• regulating
• heading
• directing
• superintending
• mastering
• conquering
• oppressing
• reigning (over)
• micromanaging
• subduing
• subjugating
• tyrannizing
• lording (it over)

3

as in leading

to serve as leader of

you did a good job of captaining the team

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leading
• commanding
• heading
• overseeing
• spearheading
• bossing
• managing
• controlling
• dominating
• supervising
• directing
• governing
• handling
• regulating
• running
• superintending

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• serving
• following
• submitting (to)
• yielding (to)
• obeying
• complying (with)
• bowing (to)
• deferring (to)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of captaining

Blorian is just as physically imposing as Mosquera and comes off captaining Hapoel Be’er Sheva to a cup and league double. — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026

Stokes retired from international cricket during the third Test against New Zealand, which concluded on Monday as the tourists claimed the series 2-1, after four years captaining the national team. — Dominic Fifield, New York Times, 30 June 2026

And so, without Haaland in front to bash the ball into the goal, or Martin Ødegaard, fresh from captaining his club team, Arsenal, to a Premier League title, taking on France would have to be a full-team effort. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 27 June 2026

The future workforce is already here—sitting in classrooms, leading student organizations, captaining athletic teams and volunteering in communities. — Dr. Milpha Blamo, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

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

Rolling often waves to his regulars from the wheelhouse, and recently passengers have started recognizing him, too — and not just for captaining their commute. — Julia Press, Bloomberg, 22 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