1
as in commandant
one in official command especially of a military force or base a surrender of the fort by the commander without a single shot having been fired

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2
as in captain
a person in overall command of a ship the intrepid commander of the HMS Surprise

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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 commander But in face-to-face meetings, senior Danish military commanders say that neither Russia nor China currently present any significant military threat to Greenland. Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025 His performance led to him being named commander of the Seawolf in 1975. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Sep. 2025 This cannot be a coincidence, a mistake, or the initiative of some lower-level commanders. David Brennan, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025 The tragedy claimed the lives of commander Rick Husband, pilot Willie McCool, mission specialists David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson, and Laurel Clark, and payload specialist Ilan Ramon of Israel. Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for commander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commander
Noun
  • David Forman, deputy commandant of midshipmen, a midshipman who mistook authorized law enforcement as a threat engaged and was injured in the process.
    Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The Washington Post first reported Noem was staying in the commandant’s residence rent-free, while the Daily Mail first reported the secretary moved there in July.
    Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The Ryder Cup is the one competition in golf that should be played in front of an intense, feverish crowd, the kind that can’t be captured by the virtual reality headsets European captain Luke Donald gave his players.
    Ian O'Connor, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
  • In response, the 2008 American captain Paul Azinger left no stone unturned in his quest to help his players at Valhalla.
    Don Riddell, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • When Angels manager Ron Washington took medical leave in June for the remainder of the 2025 season, Bochy became the oldest skipper, and only septuagenarian, in MLB.
    Candace Oehler, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The snake has other ideas, chowing down on the boat's skipper and the crew's sound engineer and still hungry for more.
    Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 17 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Commander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commander. Accessed 27 Sep. 2025.

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