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 sergeant reports to the special operations lieutenant, all overseen by the precinct’s commanding officer.
—
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2025
One night after a party, Stimson and the commanding officer happened to leave at the same time.
—Catherine Musemeche, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025
Glynn has also served as the commanding officer of the 81st Precinct in Bedford-Stuyvesant and the 94th Precinct in Greenpoint.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2025
Matthew Press, commanding officer of Valiant, said in a statement.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commanding officer
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2025
One night after a party, Stimson and the commanding officer happened to leave at the same time.
—Catherine Musemeche, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025
Glynn has also served as the commanding officer of the 81st Precinct in Bedford-Stuyvesant and the 94th Precinct in Greenpoint.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2025
Matthew Press, commanding officer of Valiant, said in a statement.
—Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commanding officer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commanding officer
Noun
-
In just two days, Israel assassinated the chief of staff of the Iranian armed forces, the top commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the head of the country’s aerospace-and-missile program.—
Robin Wright,
New Yorker,
16 June 2025
-
The post’s color guard commander, Tony Kennedy of Libertyville, spent one year (1968 and 1969) in Vietnam serving in the United States Army.—
Karie Angell Luc,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 2025
Noun
-
Mahoney also performed the duties of acting commandant of the Marine Corps from November 2023 to March 2024 after Gen. Eric Smith suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
18 June 2025
-
Schumer pointed to Admiral Linda Fagan being relieved of her duties as commandant of the Coast Guard on Jan. 21.—
Adi Guajardo,
CBS News,
20 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commanding officer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commanding%20officer. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share