to direct with specific authority or prerogative; order.
The captain commanded his men to attack.
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.
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.
the act of commanding or ordering.
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.
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.
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.
(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
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
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
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a 1-1 count, Klein, who had struggled with command, went back to the fastball, knowing he could throw it for a strike.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
“When it takes months to reach decisions that make it down the chain of command and are stalled by paperwork.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The bombshell announcement was full of scary, highly technical terms: "a swarm of sandboxes", "agentic attacker", and "self-migrating command and control".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Their meat is a delicacy widely eaten locally, while their fins command high prices in international markets.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
At a command center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, radar technicians constantly monitored screens for any signs of enemy invaders.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
"We disabled the tanker after the crew attempted to run the blockade at least four times prior," Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesman for US Central Command, told AFP.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Central Command said it targeted aircraft hangars, maritime capabilities and drone storage sites to prevent Iran from attacking commercial shipping through the key waterway.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
Special Operations Command, said the surge itself doesn’t necessarily mean major military operations are inevitable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, confirmed the deaths and said another servicemember is missing as a result of the attack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
The soldier escorted Jake and Kojo to the National Military Command Center, what some called the War Room.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
Despite the acclaim his Birmingham restaurant The Wilderness commands, Claridge says the reality behind the kitchen doors is one of soaring costs, shrinking margins and constant uncertainty.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The software had been configured “for evaluation purposes” to be less likely to refuse hacking commands, OpenAI said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Owens’ arguments are often nonsensical, but because she commands an audience of more than 6 million YouTube subscribers, they have enough power to force the rest of the commentary class to rebut them.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
She commands widespread respect and has little association with political parties.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
"That bully flung some money at me, hoping I'd tell on you. Here," she commands, "take it."
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
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
Whether he was playing steely but likeable heroes or a chillingly menacing villains, Neill was one of the most versatile stars in the film industry and always commanded attention on screen.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Edwin Dreher, the NYPD’s deputy chief, then commanded McDarby to ask the Croat about the LaGuardia bombing.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
According to Counterpoint Research, Meta commanded 84% of global market share for smart glasses in the first quarter of 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
"Come over here,” Chester commanded, indicating his chair, "and let me show you this book.”
From "Bunnicula" by Deborah Howe and James Howe
At Tuesday’s closing price of $193.92, the recently issued American depositary receipts of SK Hynix were commanding a 38% premium to Wednesday’s closing price of its local shares listed in Seoul.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
Pau Cubarsi: A commanding presence at the heart of defence as Mbappe, Dembele, Olise and co failed to ignite.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Possibly the actor was chosen for his commanding height, which is the only thing about him that’s right for the role; Washington stood 6-foot-2.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Ceuzany's voice ranges from crystalline highs to deep lows, as she performs everything from jazz to slam, commanding the stage with wavy blonde hair and earrings framing her radiant face.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
Our Father rose and said in a commanding voice, “Let us all pray to the Lord for mercy and understanding.”
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
