COMMANDS Synonyms: 251 Similar and Opposite Words

commands 1 of 2

noun

plural of command

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

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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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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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as in seats

a place from which authority is exercised central command

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as in controls

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

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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

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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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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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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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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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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as in dominates

to look down on for centuries an imposing castle has commanded that stretch of the river

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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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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

Roseville police said that to detain the driver, officers had to use 40mm rubber bullets to break the vehicle window, as the driver was not listening to officers' commands. —

Jose Fabian, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026 Patrol boroughs are commands that oversee local police precinct operations. —

Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 3 Apr. 2026 Ground systems identified the pose of the arm’s end effector in real time using first‑view camera imagery to plan motion and generate control commands. —

Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 Apr. 2026 But the agency said footage shows the officers encountered Paez Terán in a tent in the woods and fired in self-defense after the activist shot at troopers and ignored verbal commands to leave the tent. —

R.j. Rico, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026 That means robots that don't just follow commands but understand context, tone and human behavior. —

Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Apr. 2026 This equipment is able to receive commands from the Eastern Range through the flight termination system. —

Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026 As part of the search efforts, the Mexican navy alerted naval commands in Isla Mujeres and Yucalpetén, as well as naval search, rescue and surveillance stations. —

ABC News, 27 Mar. 2026 Though Jones advanced toward the officer and two other officers who responded as backup, refusing to obey numerous commands to drop the blade, police were able to form a circle around him at one point with their guns drawn, the footage shows. —

Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026

Verb

Because of his swing, Lincoln-Way Central’s Joey Vellenga commands attention. —

Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 2 Apr. 2026 Very Cherry reclaimed the crown in 2003 and has remained the top seller since, but Buttered Popcorn still commands a devoted following. —

Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 1 Apr. 2026 Naturally, his son Barron is more than ready to defend the country his father so boldly commands. —

Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026 Satur, signed to Warner Music, now commands more than 13 million followers across platforms and has sold out arena shows across Asia, including two consecutive nights at Bangkok’s Impact Arena. —

Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 30 Mar. 2026 Like Wawa, in Pennsylvania, and H-E-B, in Texas, Publix—founded in 1930 by a former Piggly Wiggly manager in Winter Haven, Florida—is a regional chain that commands an almost religious devotion. —

Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026 For the Wildcats, however, men’s basketball brings in more ticket revenue and commands more in sponsorship interest than football. —

Justin Williams, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026 Trump still commands strong support among his party, especially with MAGA Republicans. —

Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026 Iran’s Khatam Al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which commands both the regular military and the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, dismissed the idea of talks. —

Jon Gambrell, Fortune, 25 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for commands

Noun

So, the mission team gave the Artemis 2 crew some instructions.

— Mike Wall, Space.com, 7 Apr. 2026
To switch to Google Messages, Samsung's website gives users instructions to download the app from the Play Store, if not already on their phone, and set it as the default.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Apr. 2026