COMMANDING OFFICER Synonyms: 6 Similar Words

commanding officer

noun

as in commander

one in official command especially of a military force or base reported directly to the fort's commanding officer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 commanding officer The lower ranks might appreciate the freedom and adaptability of this arrangement, but their commanding officers in Kyiv do not. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026 Last Thursday, the Navy’s top spokesman, Rear Admiral John Robinson, released a policy that mandated the sea service remove all public-facing information about its commanding officers. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 Standard Starfleet protocol would usually dictate that the Enterprise intervene to prevent the Dol'Drm being destroyed by stolen Federation technology, but its commanding officer sees the bigger picture. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 23 July 2026 Gabriel Edwards, the commanding officer of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 5, was reported missing after the July 1 incident. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 8 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for commanding officer

Recent Examples of Synonyms for commanding officer

Noun

In fact, just prior to our conversation, it was announced that Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman will become the new deputy director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

— Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 7 Nov. 2026
Eisenkot is a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, serving as the country's top military commander from 2015 to 2019.

— Tara Neill, NPR, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of commander

Noun

Changes that grow from those Marines’ ideas, Jones said, outlast any commandant.

— Kylie McCoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2026
Höcker, an adjutant to the camp’s commandant, did not photograph any victims, which becomes a matter of contention among the museum staff, who are wary of inspiring sympathy with the perpetrators of a genocide.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of commandant

Browse Nearby Words

commanding

commanding officer

commanding officers

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Commanding officer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commanding%20officer. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of commanding officer

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

boilerplate

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes