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
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Recent Examples of commanders
According to Mohan, a CSDV’s right to serve beer and wine would be at the discretion at each base’s senior commanders.
—
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
High-resolution images of the battlefield were rare, and commanders often had to rely on photos that were days old by the time they were analyzed.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
In another, the embryo transfer had taken place in a bedroom, where she was surrounded by military commanders.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Treatment was largely ad hoc and depended to a considerable degree on individual commanders, but customarily prisoners would be exchanged or placed on parole—granted their freedom but required by oath not to return to military action.
—Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
Search and rescue mission coordinators, on-scene commanders and the Coast Guard determined on Saturday all reasonable search efforts for the missing crew members had been exhausted.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
No specific mission was ever outlined, and placing units on alert is a relatively routine step when commanders anticipate a potential presidential order, according to officials familiar with the planning.
—Steve Beynon, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026
China’s Disappearing Generals These were the commanders serving under Xi Jinping on the Central Military Commission in 2023.
—New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Iran launched multiple waves of missile and drone attacks at Israeli targets during that conflict, which started after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran last year, killing several top military commanders and nuclear scientists.
—Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2026
High-resolution images of the battlefield were rare, and commanders often had to rely on photos that were days old by the time they were analyzed.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Feb. 2026
In another, the embryo transfer had taken place in a bedroom, where she was surrounded by military commanders.
—Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Treatment was largely ad hoc and depended to a considerable degree on individual commanders, but customarily prisoners would be exchanged or placed on parole—granted their freedom but required by oath not to return to military action.
—Drew Gilpin Faust, The Atlantic, 8 Feb. 2026
Search and rescue mission coordinators, on-scene commanders and the Coast Guard determined on Saturday all reasonable search efforts for the missing crew members had been exhausted.
—Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
No specific mission was ever outlined, and placing units on alert is a relatively routine step when commanders anticipate a potential presidential order, according to officials familiar with the planning.
—Steve Beynon, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2026
China’s Disappearing Generals These were the commanders serving under Xi Jinping on the Central Military Commission in 2023.
—New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Iran launched multiple waves of missile and drone attacks at Israeli targets during that conflict, which started after Israel launched a surprise attack on Iran last year, killing several top military commanders and nuclear scientists.
—Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commanders
Noun
-
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
-
Those captains – James and Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry – essentially led the world’s most talented pickup game.—
Staff report,
Oc Register,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Now, skippers compete in races on different classes of ice boats.—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
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
-
The board has long urged all aircraft to have systems that would show pilots if another aircraft was getting dangerously close.—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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To put that in perspective, fighter pilots wear specialized G-suits to withstand forces in that range.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commanders.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commanders. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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