1
as in commanders
a person in overall command of a ship
the captain is responsible for everything that happens to his ship in the course of a voyage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in commandants
one in official command especially of a military force or base
the captain of the largest army ever marshaled for battle in this country
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in leaders
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do
we only do what the captain tells us to, so it's not our fault when things don't work out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in tycoons
a person of rank, power, or influence in a particular field
a fascinating magazine article profiling the captains of the American auto industry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in supervises
to be in charge of
if you do well on this, you'll be asked to captain the next mission
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in rules
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 commands
to serve as leader of
you did a good job of captaining the team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of captains
Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Poulin captains and is the leading scorer for the Montréal Victoire of the Professional Women’s Hockey League; she was named Playoff MVP after the team won its first championship in May.
—Avery Stone, Time, 9 June 2026
Afternoon showers are common but usually brief, and captains can adjust routes to avoid rough seas.
—Linnea Bailey, Southern Living, 9 June 2026
Seven European captains threatened to defy an order against wearing them, until, hours before England’s opening kickoff, FIFA announced that each would receive a yellow card.
—Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026
Though the captains have collaborated more than in years past, Hansen admits trust still only goes so far among fishermen.
—Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026
The array’s buoys also help maintain critical weather readings for boats in the area, alerting captains when dangerous weather is imminent.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
And that’s a hopeful timeline, given the hurdles of demining, returning confidence to captains and insurers, and bringing in a legion of empty tankers to stock up — and the risk that one errant drone could reset the whole process to square one.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 2 June 2026
Start with the impact made by senior co-captains Adriana Vasquez Duran and Emily Sandoval — on and off the field.
—Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 2 June 2026
Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026
Camberos, who captains the Mexican side and plays for the national team, played for Angel City and Bay FC in between a first stint with América and her current tenure, while Geyse last played for Gotham.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 22 May 2026
Rozanov captains the re-named Boston Raiders in the TV adaptation.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026
Rush lost two of his top players to The Bennett School when Reeder and fellow senior Harper Gates, both now captains for the Rebels’ premiere team, decided to pursue the new opportunity.
—Jon Poorman, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
Tigertail, 36, who captains airboat tours through the Everglades, is navigating his boat through the only route available given how dry the park has gotten this year.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee captains the South Korean team that finished as runner-up to Team Japan in Pool C from Tokyo.
—Shayna Rubin, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Mar. 2026
Virgil Van Dijk, Netherlands defender Virgil Van Dijk, who captains Liverpool, has widely been regarded as the best defender in the world for the last eight years.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
As Olivia Walker in the Netflix thriller, the actress captains the White House's Situation Room with the world on the brink of nuclear war.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
Tottenham legend and current Los Angeles FC star Son Heung-min captains South Korea, but is far from the only noteworthy player on the team.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Poulin captains and is the leading scorer for the Montréal Victoire of the Professional Women’s Hockey League; she was named Playoff MVP after the team won its first championship in May.
—Avery Stone, Time, 9 June 2026
Afternoon showers are common but usually brief, and captains can adjust routes to avoid rough seas.
—Linnea Bailey, Southern Living, 9 June 2026
Seven European captains threatened to defy an order against wearing them, until, hours before England’s opening kickoff, FIFA announced that each would receive a yellow card.
—Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 7 June 2026
Though the captains have collaborated more than in years past, Hansen admits trust still only goes so far among fishermen.
—Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 4 June 2026
The array’s buoys also help maintain critical weather readings for boats in the area, alerting captains when dangerous weather is imminent.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 3 June 2026
And that’s a hopeful timeline, given the hurdles of demining, returning confidence to captains and insurers, and bringing in a legion of empty tankers to stock up — and the risk that one errant drone could reset the whole process to square one.
—Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 2 June 2026
Start with the impact made by senior co-captains Adriana Vasquez Duran and Emily Sandoval — on and off the field.
—Ethan Hanson, Daily News, 2 June 2026
Verb
Hakimi, who captains Morocco and stars for Paris Saint-Germain, is regarded as one of the best right backs in the world.
—Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 2 June 2026
Camberos, who captains the Mexican side and plays for the national team, played for Angel City and Bay FC in between a first stint with América and her current tenure, while Geyse last played for Gotham.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 22 May 2026
Rozanov captains the re-named Boston Raiders in the TV adaptation.
—Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 12 May 2026
Rush lost two of his top players to The Bennett School when Reeder and fellow senior Harper Gates, both now captains for the Rebels’ premiere team, decided to pursue the new opportunity.
—Jon Poorman, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
Tigertail, 36, who captains airboat tours through the Everglades, is navigating his boat through the only route available given how dry the park has gotten this year.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee captains the South Korean team that finished as runner-up to Team Japan in Pool C from Tokyo.
—Shayna Rubin, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Mar. 2026
Virgil Van Dijk, Netherlands defender Virgil Van Dijk, who captains Liverpool, has widely been regarded as the best defender in the world for the last eight years.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
As Olivia Walker in the Netflix thriller, the actress captains the White House's Situation Room with the world on the brink of nuclear war.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captains
Noun
-
Because the Russian commanders keep attacking anyway, the Ukrainians are killing and wounding thousands of enemy soldiers, perhaps as many as 30,000, every month.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
-
Ukrainian commanders have also been open about their systematic effort to erode Russian air defenses.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Fried’s statement to the Herald comes amid warnings from a growing chorus of political leaders that Wasserman Schultz’s decision — and the state party’s silence about it — could have ripple effects across the ballot in November.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
11 June 2026
-
The boy’s family and county leaders are renewing their plea for witnesses to come forward, saying justice for a child lost to senseless street violence is long overdue.—
Seamus Bozeman
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
Greek shipping tycoons, Morley said, may be intrigued by the glory of owning Onassis’s yacht; Middle Eastern oil magnates could have the means to buy a pricey piece of history.—
Michael Ballaban,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
-
For the manifesto’s authors, a just fashion system enriches the lives of workers, their families and their communities, not the coffers of billionaire fashion tycoons.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Milshtein previously served as adviser to COGAT, which supervises civilian policy in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
19 May 2026
-
As chief of patrol, Hein supervises the most visible aspects of the Police Department that define its image in the minds of most Chicagoans, including emergency response, crisis intervention, traffic control, routine patrol and community policing efforts.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
If the court strikes down such grace periods, the implications could extend well beyond California and 13 other states that give a grace period for regular ballots, depending on how the court ultimately rules.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
9 June 2026
-
The bony villain is a warlock who stole the throne of Eternia from King Randor and now rules it with a tyrannical fist.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
The endorsement is expected to provide a significant boost to Jones's campaign, which already commands strong support among the GOP base.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
14 June 2026
-
Once in position, a smartphone app commands a robotic arm to open the charging port and automatically connect the charging cable.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
13 June 2026
Noun
-
Ludwig says many breakfast skippers end up overeating at night.—
Lynn Andriani,
Martha Stewart,
13 May 2026
-
In terms of skippers, our Frank Selee might rightly be considered more philosopher than a pugilist.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Employees everywhere else depend on their bosses’ goodwill.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
-
In those years, neighborhood bosses used the literacy test and English-only ballots to hold onto their power and keep Puerto Ricans from voting for minority candidates.—
Robert Polner,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captains. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
