command
verb (used with object)
to direct with specific authority or prerogative; order.
command
American
[kuh-mand, -mahnd]
/ kəˈmænd, -ˈmɑnd /
verb (used with object)
-
commands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
commanded,
past participle, past
-
commanding
present participle
-
to direct with specific authority or prerogative; order.
The captain commanded his men to attack.
- Antonyms:
- obey
-
to require authoritatively; demand.
She commanded silence.
-
to have or exercise authority or control over; be master of; have at one's bidding or disposal.
The Pharaoh commanded 10,000 slaves.
-
to deserve and receive (respect, sympathy, attention, etc.).
He commands much respect for his attitude.
-
to dominate by reason of location; overlook.
The hill commands the sea.
-
to have authority over and responsibility for (a military or naval unit or installation); be in charge of.
verb (used without object)
-
commands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
commanded,
past participle, past
-
commanding
present participle
-
to issue an order or orders.
-
to be in charge; have authority.
-
to occupy a dominating position; look down upon or over a body of water, region, etc.
noun
-
commands
plural
-
the act of commanding or ordering.
- Synonyms:
- injunction, bidding, direction, instruction, mandate, charge
-
an order given by one in authority.
The colonel gave the command to attack.
-
Military.
-
an order in prescribed words, usually given in a loud voice to troops at close-order drill.
The command was “Right shoulder arms!”
-
the order of execution or the second part of any two-part close-order drill command, as face in Right face!
-
Command, a principal component of the U.S. Air Force.
Strategic Air Command.
-
a body of troops or a station, ship, etc., under a commander.
-
-
the possession or exercise of controlling authority.
a lieutenant in command of a platoon.
- Synonyms:
- understanding, knowledge, grasp, comprehension, proficiency, domination, sway, ascendancy, control, charge, authority
-
He has a command of French, Russian, and German.
-
British. a royal order.
-
power of dominating a region by reason of location; extent of view or outlook.
the command of the valley from the hill.
-
Computers.
-
an electric impulse, signal, or set of signals for initiating an operation in a computer.
-
a character, symbol, or item of information for instructing a computer to perform a specific task.
-
a single instruction.
-
adjective
-
of, relating to, or for use in the exercise of command: command post.
a command car;
command post.
-
of or relating to a commander.
a command decision.
-
ordered by a sovereign, as if by a sovereign, or by the exigencies of a situation.
a command performance.
command
1
British
/ kəˈmɑːnd /
verb
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to order, require, or compel
-
to have or be in control or authority over (a person, situation, etc)
-
(tr) to have knowledge or use of
he commands the language
-
(tr) to receive as due or because of merit
his nature commands respect
-
to dominate (a view, etc) as from a height
noun
-
an order; mandate
-
the act of commanding
-
the power or right to command
-
the exercise of the power to command
-
ability or knowledge; control
a command of French
-
military the jurisdiction of a commander
-
a military unit or units commanding a specific area or function, as in the RAF
-
-
an invitation from the monarch
-
( as modifier )
a command performance
-
-
computing a word or phrase that can be selected from a menu or typed after a prompt in order to carry out an action
Command
2
British
/ kəˈmɑːnd /
noun
command
Idioms
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
commandsimple
-
commandssimple
-
have commandedperfect
-
has commandedperfect
-
am commandingprogressive
-
are commandingprogressive
-
is commandingprogressive
-
have been commandingperfect progressive
-
has been commandingperfect progressive
Past
-
commandedsimple
-
had commandedperfect
-
was commandingprogressive
-
were commandingprogressive
-
had been commandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of command
First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English coma(u)nden, from Anglo-French com(m)a(u)nder, Old French comander, from Medieval Latin commandāre, equivalent to Latin com- com- + mandāre “to entrust, order” ( cf. commend); (noun) late Middle English comma(u)nde, from Anglo-French, Old French; the noun is derivative of the verb
Explanation
A command is an order that you have to follow, as long as the person who gives it has authority over you. You don't have to comply with your friend's command that you give him all your money. Command, which can be a noun or a verb, combines the Latin prefix com-, meaning "with," and mandāre, "to charge, enjoin," so to give someone a command is to say something with the authority that charges him to follow it. Your mother might command you to clean your room. Command can also mean a position of power, like having command of a battleship, or possession of a skill, like having a great command of video games.
Vocabulary lists containing command
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 2
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“I do know that the command hasn’t been there,” Roberts said before the game.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Brad Cooper capped a 10-day trip that also included visits to Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, the command said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Talarico has made the New Testament command to love thy neighbor a centerpiece of his campaign.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said it sent 10 fire engines, a command support unit, technical rescue teams and other resources to the scene.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
One piece of the mudslinging was the Coffin Handbill, a famous campaign poster published by Adams supporters that showed rows of coffins and listed Jackson’s “bloody deeds”—his duels, the deaths of militiamen under his command.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Central Command, spent several hours aboard the Lincoln meeting with sailors and Marines during a 10-day tour of the region.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
The US Navy did not immediately provide answers to questions from AFP, but US Central Command posted on X that the crew "remain resilient and resolved after more than 260 days at sea."
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
When the head of its Central Command, Maj Gen Avi Bluth and other senior officers arrived at the scene early on Wednesday they are said to have met residents and voiced their "grave concern".
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, had redirected 55 commercial ships, disabled two and boarded two to enforce the blockade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
As it happened, the Eurasian Higher Command had launched its offensive in South India and left North Africa alone.
From "1984" by George Orwell
But Judith’s insecurities add complexity to a protagonist who commands our attention through every twist of this novel’s labyrinthine plot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
The person was “armed” with a large flagpole and an unknown cylindrical object, the chief said, and was taken into custody after refusing officers’ commands to drop the items.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Standing roughly 400 feet tall on the launchpad, Starship is the throughline for many of SpaceX’s objectives and the rich valuation that the company commands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
"We have executed multiple successful operations across combatant commands while ensuring the US military possesses a deep arsenal of capabilities to protect our people and our interests," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Any further commands given by Fowl meant nothing through the reflective visor.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Shares of Microsoft now trade at 25x forward earnings, a significant discount from the 33x multiple they commanded a year ago.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
"History is distinguished with sporting champions whose records have rightly commanded respect across generations," the message read.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
When a string of Russian strikes on military training grounds last year killed 12 Ukrainian soldiers, the general who commanded them did something unusual: He took responsibility and resigned.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
In a video which went viral, he commanded an infantry vehicle as it smashed through a makeshift barricade set up by pro-Moscow forces in the southern city of Mariupol.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Chief Powhatan has commanded all of his tribes not to trade with us.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Crabb and Benesh took a commanding 8-3 lead in the first set with all of the energy flowing on their side.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Islam Makhachev cemented his status as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world with a commanding victory over Ian Machado Garry to defend his welterweight title at UFC 330 in Philadelphia.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
After commanding the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, Washington voluntarily surrendered his military commission to Congress rather than retaining control of the army.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
Takuo Kobayashi, of Japan’s maritime self-defense force, is one of several U.S. allies taking senior leadership roles commanding Rimpac’s thousands of multinational exercises—including one involving the sinking of a pair of decommissioned American warships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
She switches to English, her voice calm and commanding.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
