captain
Americannoun
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captains
plural
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a person who is at the head of or in authority over others; chief; leader.
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an officer ranking in most armies above a first lieutenant and below a major.
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an officer in the U.S. Navy ranking above a commander and below a rear admiral or a commodore.
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a military leader.
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an officer in the police department, ranking above a lieutenant and usually below an inspector.
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an officer of the fire department, usually in command of a company, ranking above a lieutenant and below a chief or assistant chief.
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the commander of a merchant vessel.
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the pilot of an airplane.
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a local official in a political party responsible for organizing votes on a ward or precinct level.
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Sports. the field leader of a team.
The captain of the home team elected to receive on the kickoff.
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a person of great power and influence, especially based on economic wealth.
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South Midland and Southern U.S. an unofficial title of respect for a man (sometimes used humorously or ironically).
verb (used with object)
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captains,
present (3rd person singular)
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captained,
past participle, past
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captaining
present participle
noun
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the person in charge of and responsible for a vessel
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an officer of the navy who holds a rank junior to a rear admiral but senior to a commander
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an officer of the army, certain air forces, and the marine corps who holds a rank junior to a major but senior to a lieutenant
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the officer in command of a civil aircraft, usually the senior pilot
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the leader of a team in games
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a person in command over a group, organization, etc; leader
a captain of industry
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a police officer in charge of a precinct
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(formerly) a head waiter
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Also called: bell captain. a supervisor of bellboys in a hotel
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informal a person who is buying drinks for people in a bar
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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captainsimple
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captainssimple
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have captainedperfect
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has captainedperfect
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am captainingprogressive
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are captainingprogressive
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is captainingprogressive
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have been captainingperfect progressive
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has been captainingperfect progressive
Past
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captainedsimple
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had captainedperfect
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was captainingprogressive
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were captainingprogressive
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had been captainingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of captain
1325–75; Middle English capitain < Anglo-French capitain, captayn < Late Latin capitāneus chief, equivalent to capit- (stem of caput ) head + -ān ( us ) -an + -eus -eous
Explanation
A captain is the person in charge of a group. The captain of a high school soccer team is usually an elected or appointed leader. The word captain can describe any leader, but it's traditionally been the name for the person on a boat or ship with the highest rank. The captain of a fishing boat is responsible for making decisions about what route to take and how best to avoid bad weather. When she steers the boat, you can say she captains it. The word comes from the Late Latin capitaneus, "chief," from caput, or "head."
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:
"We played some brilliant football. Great performance and a great way to start the season," Arsenal captain Odegaard told TNT Sports.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Scotland have had their own mini golden generation, with captain Andy Robertson, John McGinn, Scott McTominay and others all continuing to play at Europe's top level.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
"This is the biggest win so far for Bangladesh in any format," captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
Former Newcastle captain Guimaraes looked comfortable at the base of Arsenal's midfield in Cardiff, while Tzolis shone with two assists.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
He was long overdue for a rise in rank, but for all his size and bluster, the captain disliked nosing about for promotions and salary increases.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
“The captains, they are very capable,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
At Slovakia's Gabcikovo dam, further upstream again, lock operations have slowed down, causing longer waiting times, and captains are being urged to check their vessels' navigability.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Ship captains won’t want to risk going through the maritime blockade, and insurance becomes very expensive, he noted.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Lobstermen, along with captains of mail boats and historical vessels, offer a front-row seat to the people, places and traditions that lie beyond Maine’s big cruise-ship routes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Saint Sarah goes to huddle with the other team captains.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Messi captained Argentina as they won the World Cup in 2022 and led them to the 2026 World Cup final, which his side lost 1-0 to Spain, before returning to club side Inter Miami.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Noni Madueke was part of England's run to the final weekend but did not play beyond the quarter-finals, while Martin Odegaard captained Norway to the quarter-finals.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Regarded as one of the greatest defenders to play the game, Baresi captained Milan for 15 seasons, making 719 appearances and scoring 33 goals.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Root, 35, whose first spell as Test captain was between 2017 and 2022, captained England to a record 27 Test wins in 65 matches.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
In 1958, some three thousand years later, photojournalist Peter Throckmorton was completing his second summer aboard a sponge diving vessel captained by Kemal Aras.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Norgaard previously spent six years at Brentford and became a key player for the Bees, captaining the side and making 196 appearances.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Once Sunday's match is done, Robertson's focus will turn to captaining Scotland at their first men's World Cup for 28 years.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
McCabe managed an assist in her last game for the club and expressed her joy at captaining the side for one last time before she departs.
From BBC ● May 16, 2026
He was contacted by England management at the beginning of the season and has been given the responsibility of captaining Sussex.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
The former faction had been identified with sending and captaining the fleets.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
