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

In 1731 Brit Robert Jenkins was captaining one such ship, en route from Jamaica to London, when Spanish guards boarded it in the West Indies. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Oct. 2026

In between those two groups is George Campbell, who got a January-camp look in 2025 and now, at age 25, is captaining West Brom in the English Championship. — Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Both vessels are equipped with the latest marine tech, with twin Simrad displays making captaining a cinch. — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2026

As her folks are in their eighties, Mary is now generally captaining the ship that is the Berry Center. — Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026

In a matter of years, Kapoor went from owning a multimillion-dollar home in Cocoplum and captaining a 68-foot yacht to living in federal custody. — Miami Herald, 29 Aug. 2026

Rodri, signed from Manchester City after captaining Spain to the World Cup title, came off the bench in the 62nd minute to a warm welcome from the Camp Nou crowd. — ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026

Celebrini got back to the Bay Area on Monday after an offseason that included captaining Team Canada at the IIHF World Championship in May in Switzerland, and watching Canada play in the World Cup in his hometown of Vancouver. — Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026

Knight has an incredible track record of success from college to the pros and at the international level, captaining Team USA Women's hockey to a gold medal at the 2026 Olympics in February. — Matt Finkel, CBS News, 25 Aug. 2026