commanders

plural of commander
1
as in commandants
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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 commanders One of the kids, an athletic-looking teenager named Ladislav, told me that 1654 is organized into platoons that train with Kraken commanders. Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 19 Oct. 2025 The defense secretary and president also summoned hundreds of military commanders and leaders to Virginia at the end of September to discuss the direction of America's fighting force, including a directive for all members of the military to achieve certain levels of physical fitness. Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025 Others, like Ghiath Dalla, a brigadier general whose forces were involved in violent repression of protests, is among several former officers plotting sabotage from Lebanon, according to ex-military commanders, who also shared text message exchanges with The Times. Danny Makki, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025 With the Defense Department’s pivot to preparations for potential future conflicts in the Indo-Pacific, Camp Pendleton’s location offers opportunities no other Marine base has, commanders say. Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025 The San Jose Police Department — whose officers have been involved in several of the shootings that inspired the bill — declined comment, citing the unavailability of police commanders authorized to speak for the agency on the issue. Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025 Additionally, Ukraine has already fully integrated the DELTA battlefield management system across all levels of its Armed Forces, allowing commanders to coordinate operations more efficiently and track battlefield developments in real time. Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 12 Oct. 2025 The assistant chief directly supervises section commanders, providing leadership, mentorship and guidance. Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2025 The thefts, assaults, and rapes that resulted from these vices often went unpunished, as British commanders prioritized prosecuting the war over protecting civilians. Time, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commanders
Noun
  • The outlet did not specify if the captains were on board when the incident took place.
    Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Here’s the full list of countries and their captains.
    Griff Griffin, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Others tip over, forcing their skippers to swim back with the boat in tow.
    Marcus Smith, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2025
  • His 2,252 wins are sixth all-time among all major league managers, with the five skippers ahead of him all in the Hall of Fame.
    The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In its announcement Wednesday, Apple called out CAE, which specializes in simulation and instruction solutions, as using Vision Pro to help pilots complete training activities outside of traditional flight-training centers.
    Todd Spangler, Variety, 15 Oct. 2025
  • The pilots’ job action was in protest of the Belgian government’s reforms to federal pensions.
    Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 15 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Commanders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commanders. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.

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