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
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Recent Examples of captains
Doug Turnbull For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, AJC.com, 22 Feb. 2026
The roster includes five NHL team captains and two winners of the Hart Memorial Trophy, the NHL's most valuable player award, the Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and the Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
The top-pair defenseman to the right of Quinn Hughes is one of Auston Matthews’ two alternate captains at the Olympics, with Matthew Tkachuk the other.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2026
McCoy, who averages 19 ppg and Kehari Walker (17 ppg) are captains and two of the 10 seniors on the team.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 16 Feb. 2026
Chu and Ouellette, as well as both serving as captains of their countries, each wore the number 13 on their jerseys.
—Hannah Ryan, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
For the first time in 67 All-Star games, the league abandoned the traditional East-West format that had been used since 1951, instead allowing the two captains (the top vote getters) to pick their sides.
—Staff Report, Oc Register, 14 Feb. 2026
The new plan has been piloted and requires internal department reworkings among dispatchers, patrol division captains and sergeants, and officers ahead of the November implementation date.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk and the Boston Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy will serve as alternate captains, with the three reprising their roles from last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, where the Americans lost in the final to Canada.
—Isabel Yip, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
Fernandez is also one of the main leaders in the dressing room and regularly captains Chelsea when Reece James is not on the pitch.
—Simon Johnson, New York Times, 19 Nov. 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
And, John Kraus, who captains the Spirit, is ready.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Once the final direct qualifiers have been determined, captains Bradley and Luke Donald must select the remaining six members of their teams.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Gracely, who usually captains larger vessels—oil tankers, container ships—described a stretch when the boat ran on battery power down the Atchafalaya River.
—Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
FedEx has helped with about a dozen of these summits and sent one of their safety road captains, Ray Besemer, to Milton from Binghamton, New York.
—Doug Turnbull For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, AJC.com, 22 Feb. 2026
The roster includes five NHL team captains and two winners of the Hart Memorial Trophy, the NHL's most valuable player award, the Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews and the Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 22 Feb. 2026
The top-pair defenseman to the right of Quinn Hughes is one of Auston Matthews’ two alternate captains at the Olympics, with Matthew Tkachuk the other.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 21 Feb. 2026
McCoy, who averages 19 ppg and Kehari Walker (17 ppg) are captains and two of the 10 seniors on the team.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 16 Feb. 2026
Chu and Ouellette, as well as both serving as captains of their countries, each wore the number 13 on their jerseys.
—Hannah Ryan, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
For the first time in 67 All-Star games, the league abandoned the traditional East-West format that had been used since 1951, instead allowing the two captains (the top vote getters) to pick their sides.
—Staff Report, Oc Register, 14 Feb. 2026
The new plan has been piloted and requires internal department reworkings among dispatchers, patrol division captains and sergeants, and officers ahead of the November implementation date.
—Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Florida Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk and the Boston Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy will serve as alternate captains, with the three reprising their roles from last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, where the Americans lost in the final to Canada.
—Isabel Yip, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
Fernandez is also one of the main leaders in the dressing room and regularly captains Chelsea when Reece James is not on the pitch.
—Simon Johnson, New York Times, 19 Nov. 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
And, John Kraus, who captains the Spirit, is ready.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Once the final direct qualifiers have been determined, captains Bradley and Luke Donald must select the remaining six members of their teams.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Gracely, who usually captains larger vessels—oil tankers, container ships—described a stretch when the boat ran on battery power down the Atchafalaya River.
—Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captains
Noun
-
Still, a succession struggle inside CJNG has begun, with regional cartel commanders battling for power and control.—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
-
The result is the ability to make disparate robotic systems work together and provide commanders with a universal command interface for controlling a heterogeneous fleet of drones.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
City leaders in El Cajon shot down an initial proposal that would have allowed up to four marijuana dispensaries in the city.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
-
With nine prominent Democrats in the field, this has led to concerns among party leaders that the Democratic candidates may splinter the vote and the two Republicans could advance to the November ballot.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But where does Ted Turner live now that other tycoons have bought up enough acreage to surpass his record?—
Katie Schultz,
Architectural Digest,
6 Feb. 2026
-
During the Cannes Film Festival, tycoons and oligarchs feature on the guest list, rubbing shoulders with high-profile celebrities who relax with croquet games between press junkets.—
Mary Winston Nicklin,
AFAR Media,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Jack Lang had been summoned to report on Sunday to the Foreign Ministry, which supervises the Arab World Institute, a cultural and research institution that promotes understanding of the Arab world.—
Reuters 13 hr ago,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Rodriguez works at an after-school program in Orange County and supervises third graders.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Party rules required candidates to receive 20-30% of the vote in a congressional or legislative district and statewide in order to qualify for delegates.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The will of the people is what rules our land, bound by the limits of the Constitution.—
Julian Baron,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
She’s been leading Universal with a very unique blend of filmmaker friendly creative insights with true leadership that commands respect…Donna has a grasp of all the different aspects of the filmmaking process but never loses sight of the audience.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The Bible commands a lifestyle of worship and devotion that looks considerably like Lent.—
Chris Sims,
Louisville Courier Journal,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Now, skippers compete in races on different classes of ice boats.—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
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Keep your eyes open for Martial and Mallow scrub-hairstreaks, lyside sulphurs, malachites, and a variety of skippers fluttering among the blooms.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Deadly intra-cartel battles have previously followed the killings or arrests of other crime bosses in Mexico.—
Kate Linthicum,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
-
Continue reading … 'TOTAL CHAOS' — Anderson Cooper's '60 Minutes' exit reportedly leaves CBS News bosses blindsided.—
,
FOXNews.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captains. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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