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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
Peck joined the Blue Angels after serving as the commanding officer for the Fighting Checkmates of VFA-211.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Shea’s commanding lead was not at all unexpected.
—Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026
Among early-stage deals, Carta's 2025 State of Startups report flagged leaner team structures as a defining characteristic of AI-native companies commanding premium valuations.
—Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for commanding
Adjective
When nominations for the 2026 ACM Awards were announced earlier this month, the commanding storyline was the dominance by women as nominees.
—Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 20 Apr. 2026
Peck joined the Blue Angels after serving as the commanding officer for the Fighting Checkmates of VFA-211.
—Rashad Alexander, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
With his unmistakable voice and commanding presence, Dance has left his mark on everything from and Alien 3 (1992) and Michael Collins (1996) to Game of Thrones (2011–2015) and The Crown (2019–2020).
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Mar. 2026
Shea’s commanding lead was not at all unexpected.
—Austin Sanders, Austin American Statesman, 3 Mar. 2026
Verb
That performance helped Feehan take a commanding 4-0 lead into the seventh, which is when the game nearly went awry for the Shamrocks.
—Justin Barrasso, Boston Herald, 19 May 2026
Among early-stage deals, Carta's 2025 State of Startups report flagged leaner team structures as a defining characteristic of AI-native companies commanding premium valuations.
—Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for commanding
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commanding
Adjective
-
The Golden Knights, obviously, are the most prominent example of this mode of team construction.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
-
Tom Thorstad’s grave in the Chesterton Cemetery lies in a prominent place, next to where the American Legion Post 170 holds its annual Memorial Day program.—
Jim Woods,
Chicago Tribune,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
Pre-production on the pic is has begun, with Tan overseeing the action design in collaboration with a fight choreographer and Roel Reiné (Classified) directing.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
13 May 2026
-
Their directing is relentless, inventive, and unforgettable.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
In each study, researchers observed participants over time rather than instructing them to consume a specific amount of legumes or soy.—
Stephanie Anderson Witmer,
Health,
19 May 2026
-
Other footage showed Israeli forces on speedboats approaching and instructing the activists to move to the front of the boat.—
Suzan Fraser,
Los Angeles Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The United States charged Castro with four counts of murder, accusing him of ordering Cuban military jets in 1996 to shoot down civilian planes flown by a Cuban-exile aid group and killing four people aboard.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
21 May 2026
-
When these categories sit side by side without ordering, the paper becomes loud but not useful.—
Maman Ibrahim,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
There will always be an undertone of uneasiness, but Leetch has chosen to focus on the positives, particularly how Keenan’s demanding style led to the best conditioning of his career.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
The system is also built for reliability, offering resistance to dust, drops, and impacts while supporting millions of operation cycles across demanding environments.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Yields spiked to multi-decade highs in recent weeks after a set of disastrous nationwide local election results for the governing Labour Party put Prime Minister Keir Starmer's premiership under pressure.—
Joseph Wilkins,
CNBC,
26 May 2026
-
His comments were echoed by Yair Golan, the leader of Israel’s left parliamentary bloc, which would likely be a member of any non-Netanyahu governing coalition after the election.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
More about Richard Glossip's case Glossip is accused of having his boss, Barry Van Treese, an Oklahoma City motel owner, killed in 1997 to keep from being fired for embezzlement.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
The Giants’ defense will feel the sting of not having Dexter Lawrence in the middle anymore during this one.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
New York buried 19 of 43 3-pointers while dominating the rebounding battle.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
-
In January, the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shia parties dominating the parliament, nominated Nuri al-Maliki, a politician deemed too close to Iran, to take office as prime minister.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Commanding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commanding. Accessed 27 May. 2026.
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