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
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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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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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of commanding
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2026
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento took a commanding lead in the race for the District 2 seat on the OC Board of Supervisors as results were released following the close of polls Tuesday night.
—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Cole, a contractor who specializes in building restaurants, is the Lexington Minute Men's captain commanding.
—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Adela Suliman,
NBC news,
23 June 2026
My aunts are commanding, and each in her own way can be intimidating.
—
Eythana Miller,
The Dial,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for commanding
Adjective
Laurie will play Control, the fiendish and commanding head of The Circus, Smiley’s morally fickle superior, known only by his code name.
—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2026
Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento took a commanding lead in the race for the District 2 seat on the OC Board of Supervisors as results were released following the close of polls Tuesday night.
—
Claire Wang,
Oc Register,
3 June 2026
Noun
Mitchell torched the Pistons’ hopes for a commanding series lead while tying a postseason record with 39 second-half points.
—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
12 May 2026
Cole, a contractor who specializes in building restaurants, is the Lexington Minute Men's captain commanding.
—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Verb
The note was dictated and signed by Washington and given to Charles Cornwallis, Britain’s lieutenant general commanding the southern campaign, in Yorktown, Virginia, following the British request to end hostilities to agree to the terms of its surrender.
—
Adela Suliman,
NBC news,
23 June 2026
My aunts are commanding, and each in her own way can be intimidating.
—
Eythana Miller,
The Dial,
23 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for commanding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commanding
Adjective
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Jim Campbell, chief legal counsel for ADF, pointed to Cross’s alleged experience as one of the human costs behind the legal fight.
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Haley enlisted in the Coast Guard at 17 and retired as its chief journalist in 1959.
Adjective
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His father, Manuel Cepeda, was a prominent figure in the Colombian Communist Party, and was assassinated in 1994 during a particularly bloody era in Colombia's internal conflict.
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The chatbot’s responses include citations and prominent links to news outlets.
Noun
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Perhaps the directing was the biggest problem with that film, but the writing certainly didn’t save it, nor help elevate Milly Alcock’s performance.
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Dogwoof and Strange Bird are joining forces with Kennedy/Marshall, Whisper, and Haviland Digital on the feature, with Barney Douglas (McEnroe) directing.
Verb
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Scam warning signs A caller instructing a person not to tell their friends or family about a problem is a big warning sign that the caller has malicious intent, scam experts say.
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These makers are much more reticent about the risks of blurring the once fine line between browsing sites and asking a large language model a question or instructing it to take potentially sensitive actions.
Verb
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Get $25 off catering orders of $250 or more from July 3–5 with code CATER250 when ordering in-app or online.
-
The suspect, identified only as Innocent S under German privacy rules, is accused of ordering the deaths of 25 Tutsis on five separate occasions while serving as an assistant to the mayor of Kayove in northwestern Rwanda.
Verb
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In that way, a commitment to physical fitness and its various metrics offers leaders greater tolerance for the demanding responsibilities of the role.
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Does that mean Rob Manfred is specifically demanding that drag be reduced?
Verb
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Still, with some four months until the election, polling shows Eisenkot is far from securing a decisive victory or having an easy path to a governing coalition.
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Rather, verifying, governing and trusting the code that AI produces is the true challenge.
Verb
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Despite appearing in just 13 games this season due to injury and having a negative wins above replacement value, per Baseball Reference, Kirk received 1,488,788 votes and second place among AL catchers.
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With the games now having the kind of stakes that Thursday’s contest lacked, that leaky defense – especially in crunch time toward the end of matches – is the possible Achilles heel for this team.
Cite this Entry
“Commanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commanding. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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