1
as in presiding
highest in rank or authority
with the death of the general, he instantly became the commanding officer on the field of battle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in prominent
likely to attract attention
even in a room filled with world leaders, he was a commanding presence
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in directing
Related Words
1
as in instructing
to issue orders to (someone) by right of authority
the general commanded his troops with Caesar-like imperiousness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ordering
to request the doing of by virtue of one's authority
the governor has commanded that all state flags be flown at half-mast
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in demanding
to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority
an act of courage that commands the admiration of all who witnessed it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in governing
to exercise authority or power over
a cabinet secretary who commands the largest department in the federal government
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5
as in having
to keep, control, or experience as one's own
local government does not command the resources that are needed to respond to such a huge disaster
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in dominating
to look down on
for centuries an imposing castle has commanded that stretch of the river
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7
as in leading
to serve as leader of
the head of the agency commands an army of workers trained to respond to the immediate needs of disaster victims
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
8
as in asking
to set or receive as a price
commands a high fee for his decorating services
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of commanding
Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Year after year Samsung had an increasingly greater, ever-more commanding presence at CES.
—Jan Wagner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
After spending the last months of 2025 traveling to Italy and Japan with her family, Gabrielle Union is getting back to business with a power suit and commanding pumps in New York.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 13 Jan. 2026
ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
And imagine nations commanding drone swarms and robot dog packs capable of making decisions and executing missions without human intervention.
—Eric Schmidt, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commanding
Adjective
Arsenal have allowed their previously commanding lead to slip in recent weeks while Nottingham Forest and West Ham have both found form to boost their chances of avoiding relegation.
—Graham Ruthven, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026
Year after year Samsung had an increasingly greater, ever-more commanding presence at CES.
—Jan Wagner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026
Noun
Robert Duvall, the commanding and supremely versatile actor who earned a lasting place in American movie history, died Sunday at age 95.
—NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
After spending the last months of 2025 traveling to Italy and Japan with her family, Gabrielle Union is getting back to business with a power suit and commanding pumps in New York.
—Karla Rodriguez, Footwear News, 13 Jan. 2026
Verb
Wisconsin turned an already commanding 34-21 first-half stranglehold into a 21-point lead 5 1/2 minutes into the second half.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
And imagine nations commanding drone swarms and robot dog packs capable of making decisions and executing missions without human intervention.
—Eric Schmidt, Time, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commanding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commanding
Adjective
-
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s most prominent political rival, Imamoglu stands accused by prosecutors of leading a criminal organization.—
Beril Akman,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Among the most prominent findings from community outreach, which included surveys, walkabouts, pop-up events and a builder’s breakfast, were concerns about traffic speeding, inadequate lighting, lack of street trees and the absence of a cohesive identity for the corridor.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In addition to writing and directing, Flanagan is producing via his Red Room Pictures banner, alongside David Robinson for Morgan Creek Entertainment and Jason Blum for Blumhouse-Atomic Monster.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Aperture’s Goldworm is producing Hannibal at Netflix with Denzel Washington attached to star and Antoine Fuqua directing and Alpha at Netflix with Taron Egerton starring.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Israel repeatedly raised its air defenses and issued alerts to the public instructing residents to shelter in a safe place.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
-
Activists are also instructing people to keep them out of sight so ICE agents don’t see them and later target them.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For now, Wallace is still able to get his kratom powder, called Red Bali, by ordering from a company in Florida.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Trump made good on his word, ordering military strikes on Iran on Saturday.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That set off a furor that prompted Congress to pass legislation demanding that the Justice Department release the files.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
-
What's more clear is the administration's use of administrative subpoenas, sent to tech companies like Google or Meta, demanding personal information to unmask anonymous accounts.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When raising money consumes so much of a lawmaker's schedule, governing risks being squeezed into the margins.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Her government is also set to scrap restrictions on lethal arms exports in the coming weeks to promote the development of Japan’s defense industry and cooperation with friendly nations, based on a proposal recently submitted by her party and its governing coalition partner.—
Mari Yamaguchi,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Google’s latest lawsuit pushes the company to do more, such as warning users about the risks of having long emotional conversations with its chatbot.—
Queenie Wong,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Brunson finished with 16 points and 15 assists but appreciated his coach having his back.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Colorado never really stopped dominating territorially, but Los Angeles was able to claw back and tie the score.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Mascherano said the keys to the game were dominating possession and playing compact defense.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commanding. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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