command
verb (used with object)
to direct with specific authority or prerogative; order.
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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.
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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!
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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
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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:
Until the interview, Russia’s military command had no proof Stupnikov was alive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
The weary soldiers have made it safely to the command post.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The brigade command post in Mykilske, where Stupnikov often sat behind a set of screens, was decked out with chairs, sofas, carpets and large-screen televisions looted from local homes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Improved preparations include increased wildfire drills, more training on the incident command system, more evacuation planning as well as earlier briefings and tactical meetings to improve pre-deployment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
I continue to receive messages from the command center warning me to stop, but I ignore them.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
Central Command said Tuesday that American forces had assisted Gulf partners in shipping more than 19 million barrels of crude through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
A joint Seoul-United Nations Command investigation concluded the blast was caused by North Korean mines laid on the South Korean side of the border.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Command enforces the armistice and helps provide security to the South.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
We were given rare access to an underground bunker in Kyiv, dubbed – appropriately enough – the "Iron Command Centre", where railway staff monitor threats in real time.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
At the Air Force’s Strategic Air Command headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, the SAC commander marched down a concrete ramp into the earth.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
The pilot can issue commands to the shooter through the drones’ speakers until police arrive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
With “Digger,” Iñárritu commands — to quote “Real Housewives of New York” alum Kelly Bensimon — “You come up to me; I don’t go down to you.”
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
“A pair generally commands a higher price,” Pagello says.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 3, 2026
L.A.’s top litigator commands a budget of nearly $200 million, plays a role in shaping city ordinances, and wages court battles on behalf of the public.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
But she wasn’t even good at following her own commands.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
Donald, who frequently commanded double-team blocking, made a memorable play near the end of the second quarter with the Giants — who had feasted on a Williams fumble — threatening to score.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Gen. Harold G. Moore, who commanded a cavalry unit at the late 1965 Ia Drang battle, fretted how the war was “devastating to the morale and effectiveness of every American unit in combat.”
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
A veteran of battles for the right to divorce and abortion, Bonino was a former member of Italy's Radical Party who commanded respect across the political spectrum.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
But Ossoff’s remark also commanded attention, feeding a boomlet that helped bump up his standing in polls of the hypothetical 2028 presidential primary.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
When she spoke again, he thought at once of Clara, a presence that commanded attention and respect.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
The department hasn’t found any evidence that its automated license plate reader data have been shared with any immigration enforcement agency, said Dean Gialamas, commanding officer of the LAPD’s Information Technology Bureau.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
They entered Thursday holding a commanding 3-0 lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, sitting one win away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 1982.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Amazon said the Indiana facility would create 300 skilled manufacturing and engineering jobs, commanding average salaries of almost $100,000 a year, well above the state’s median household income.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
"Ultimately this was a tremendous debut performance from the new mistress of meringue, showing a side of Nigella we have not seen before: quirky, commanding, funny – but also humane," she concluded.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
Bowing with the air of one accustomed to public praise, he stole to the cavern and ordered Hagar to come forth with a commanding, “What ho, minion! I need thee!”
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
