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commands 1 of 2

noun

plural of command
1
as in instructions
a statement of what to do that must be obeyed by those concerned the captain's commands were followed without question

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in proficiencies
a highly developed skill in or knowledge of something a command of French that is the result of a year spent in France as an exchange student

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in headquarters
the place from which a commander runs operations the general set up his command in the old port city

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4
as in seats
a place from which authority is exercised central command

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5
as in controls
the right or means to command or control others the army officer in command during the attack

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in views
all that can be seen from a certain point from his mountain perch, the scout had a command of the entire valley

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commands

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of command
1
as in orders
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 requests
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 demands
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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4
as in rules
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 has
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 dominates
to look down on for centuries an imposing castle has commanded that stretch of the river

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7
as in leads
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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8
as in asks
to set or receive as a price commands a high fee for his decorating services

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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 commands
Noun
Model/Actriz join in, with awesomely butch robot commands over the industrial beats. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 18 Sep. 2026 Officers gave verbal commands to de-escalate the situation, according to the police account. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2026 Senior military commands sit vacant or are staffed by less experienced officers, and future officers learn that the safest career record is a thin one. — Andrew Mertha, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026 Other times, nature’s peep can feel anticlimactic, but this quiet commands reverence. — Isabel Fattal, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2026 The platform’s job was to hold data and respond to commands, not to do the strategizing. — Rafael Flores, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026 Gael didn’t respond to commands, and surveillance footage from the area showed the police dog was hit by a vehicle before running east. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2026 Copilot’s instructions were sentence fragments—basic commands. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026 After engaging with the box, the user sees a line of text, often obscured in a way to mask any malicious commands. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Verb
The overwhelmingly white and male leadership commands an enlisted force in which 34% identify with a racial minority group and 17% are women. — Jeremiah Favara, The Conversation, 18 Sep. 2026 This atmosphere can only get worse, and society is watching something different from what the law commands. — Mauricio Savarese, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026 Right now, artificial intelligence commands boardroom conversations, investment dollars and headlines. — Adam Povlitz, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026 Combined with existing operations, the country now commands a domestic capacity of roughly 3,000 tonnes of rubidium salt equivalent per year. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026 There, wisteria blooms on trellises, raspberries ripen on bushes, a cold-plunge pool commands sweeping views of downtown Manhattan—and a chicken coop looms in the corner. — Ingrid Abramovitch, Architectural Digest, 10 Sep. 2026 The left brain, by contrast, commands language processing, and following a stroke to the left brain, a person can develop not only a communication disorder but often post-stroke depression as well. — Michael P.h. Stanley, STAT, 10 Sep. 2026 Even with his flaws, Bouchard commands a begrudging respect across the league. — Janson Duench, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Going any higher in the range, into Z06 and ZR1 territory, commands bravery and many, many more dollars. — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 3 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commands
  1. instructions
  2. proficiencies
  3. controls
  4. views
  5. orders
  6. requests
  7. demands
  8. rules
Noun
  • But jury nullification gives them the power to disregard those instructions.
    — Monu Bedi, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • When disinfecting surfaces, let the cleanser sit for the time specified in the product’s instructions.
    — Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of instructions
Noun
  • Flown today to familiarize new astronauts with working in a high-stress, dynamic environment and maintain pilots’ flight proficiencies, Johnson Space Center currently has a fleet of 14 active T-38 jets stationed out of nearby Ellington Airport.
    — Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • My history suggests very successful proficiencies in this model.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 May 2026
Definition of proficiencies
Noun
  • Or Hwang could venture into the more flexible surplus lines market, made up of largely out-of-state carriers that specialize in high-risk insurance sold without price controls or state backing.
    — Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Some of these include cross-app actions, granular parental controls, and contextual Siri.
    — Florence Ion, PC Magazine, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of controls
Noun
  • Likes, views, shares, retention graphs, clickthrough rates, and watch time convert human approval into numbers.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Paxton had argued that the law-school clinic was not a classroom but a workplace, and that Fisher was punished not for expressing political views but because her cursing and volume had disrupted clinic business.
    — Benjamin Wofford, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of views
Verb
  • The law orders the California Public Utilities Commission to create special requirements and rates for data centers’ use of electricity, including the costs for new power and for infrastructure upgrades.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026
  • The action is that the user orders dinner, uploads a photo or completes a weekly challenge.
    — Michal Rahamim, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of orders
Verb
  • When a screening process requests anything sensitive, such as age or caregiving status, say plainly who reviews it and why.
    — Houman Akhavan, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Things are suddenly different, starting at work, where the gallery director confesses to noticing him for the first time and a punky feminist artist requests his involvement in her upcoming show.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of requests
Verb
  • The lawsuit demands a trial by jury and deems the decorum policy overly broad and vague.
    — Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026
  • To lead a child to a gas chamber demands a hardness of heart that must be cultivated.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of demands
Verb
  • Paul Paul of Dune, the heir to the House of Atreides that rules the planet of Caladan, spends most of his story trying to outrun a destiny that’s been mapped out for him by others.
    — Sarah Scott, Parents, 17 Sep. 2026
  • If the court rules in their favor, Kushner’s project may have to be halted.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of rules

Browse Nearby Words

command posts
commands
commas
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Cite this Entry

“Commands.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commands. Accessed 25 Sep. 2026.

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