as in commanders
one in official command especially of a military force or base
reported directly to the fort's commanding officer
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Recent Examples of commanding officers
Fergie quickly learned that all commanding officers were White, and no Black troops could achieve a rank higher than sergeant.
—
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
After giving his all during basic training and becoming one of the top trainees in boot camp, his commanding officers assigned him to the kitchen because of his emotional state.
—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
No commanding officers or the commissioner were ever told about the claim letters, the summary says.
—
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Parker stars as one of Cameron’s commanding officers, drill sergeant Sullivan.
—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Oct. 2025
Cameron also develops a close but complicated mentorship with one of his commanding officers, Sergeant Liam Robert Sullivan (Max Parker), a deputy drill instructor, who also hasn't revealed his sexuality.
—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Quornelius Radford, had once been arrested by local authorities on suspicion of drunken driving — but his commanding officers had not known about that incident, officials said.
—
Nbc News,
NBC news,
6 Aug. 2025
Literary Hub,
16 June 2026
After giving his all during basic training and becoming one of the top trainees in boot camp, his commanding officers assigned him to the kitchen because of his emotional state.
—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
30 May 2026
No commanding officers or the commissioner were ever told about the claim letters, the summary says.
—
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Parker stars as one of Cameron’s commanding officers, drill sergeant Sullivan.
—
Nicole Fell,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Oct. 2025
Cameron also develops a close but complicated mentorship with one of his commanding officers, Sergeant Liam Robert Sullivan (Max Parker), a deputy drill instructor, who also hasn't revealed his sexuality.
—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
27 Oct. 2025
Quornelius Radford, had once been arrested by local authorities on suspicion of drunken driving — but his commanding officers had not known about that incident, officials said.
—
Nbc News,
NBC news,
6 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commanding officers
commanders
Noun
-
For naval commanders operating there, information can be as valuable as firepower.
-
Thousand-dollar drones are eliminating systems worth millions, forcing Russian commanders to expend valuable resources defending against low-cost threats.
Cite this Entry
“Commanding officers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commanding%20officers. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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