1
as in commander
a person in overall command of a ship
the captain is responsible for everything that happens to his ship in the course of a voyage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in commandant
one in official command especially of a military force or base
the captain of the largest army ever marshaled for battle in this country
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in leader
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do
we only do what the captain tells us to, so it's not our fault when things don't work out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in tycoon
a person of rank, power, or influence in a particular field
a fascinating magazine article profiling the captains of the American auto industry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to supervise
to be in charge of
if you do well on this, you'll be asked to captain the next mission
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to rule
to exercise authority or power over
captained the project for a few days while the boss was out of town
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to command
to serve as leader of
you did a good job of captaining the team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 captain
Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 6 Apr. 2025
The former captain excels at hunting pucks, which is an important part of goal-line duty.
—Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2025
After being brought up in London, the midfielder came home to captain the team and will lead them out at St James’ in the biggest fixture of all, certainly in terms of heft, noise and atmosphere.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captain
Noun
When Canada and the U.S met in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, Gretzky was named our honorary captain and seemed reluctant to do it, without so much as a maple-leaf pin on his jacket lapel.
—Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 6 Apr. 2025
The former captain excels at hunting pucks, which is an important part of goal-line duty.
—Fluto Shinzawa, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
As training for this season began, UConn men’s hockey coach Mike Cavanaugh was describing his two new goaltenders to captain Hudson Schandor.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 29 Mar. 2025
After being brought up in London, the midfielder came home to captain the team and will lead them out at St James’ in the biggest fixture of all, certainly in terms of heft, noise and atmosphere.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 22 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captain
Noun
-
Haugh, a career Air Force leader, was deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command at Fort George G. Meade, Md., until President Joe Biden tapped him to lead the NSA in Feb. 2024.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
-
The commander of the Eastern Theater Command from 2019 to 2022 was He.—
Nectar Gan,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The audit success is also an integral part of the military branch’s readiness to defend, if needed, the USMC commandant noted.—
Washington Examiner Staff,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Trump already had fired the Coast Guard commandant.—
Susan Page,
USA TODAY,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The Ukrainian leader has blamed Russia for the slow progress of talks, a sentiment echoed by his European backers.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The White House leader is railing against the States’ trade deficits with its biggest trading partners, such as Canada, China, Mexico and the European Union, and has either imposed or threatened (as with the EU) up to 25% tariffs on imports.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
As stocks tanked following news of President Trump’s new tariffs, Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim Helu got billions richer.—
Gigi Zamora,
Forbes.com,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Robert Bass Robert Bass is a nephew of oil tycoon Sid Richardson and inherited $2.8 million after his uncle’s death in 1959.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Nutley directed academic services at St. Xavier, and supervised a program aimed at helping teens who were struggling academically, according to court documents obtained by TMZ.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2025
-
Shapiro supervises them all, on both scientific and ethical matters.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The coroner’s office ruled the deaths accidental due to blunt force trauma.—
David Matthews,
New York Daily News,
8 Apr. 2025
-
National Trump administration advances immigration crackdown on foreign student protesters On Friday, a federal judge ruled that Ozturk will have her case heard in Vermont.—
Adrian Florido,
NPR,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Experts say Ticketmaster commands more than a 70% market share of primary ticket services for major U.S. concert venues.—
Steve Holland,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2025
-
Many of the pro-Trump personalities who command big online audiences with conservative opinion shows don’t live in Washington, DC, and have little desire to drop in for press briefings.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
While Rice’s ability to punish baseballs landed him a somewhat regular spot in the Yanks’ lineup, his versatility offers a nice bonus to the skipper.—
James O'Connell,
New York Daily News,
3 Apr. 2025
-
Will Venable appreciated the support following his first win as Sox skipper.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Captain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captain. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share