captain

American  

[kap-tuhn, -tin] / ˈkæp tən, -tɪn /

noun

1. a person who is at the head of or in authority over others; chief; leader.

2. an officer ranking in most armies above a first lieutenant and below a major.

3. an officer in the U.S. Navy ranking above a commander and below a rear admiral or a commodore.

4. a military leader.

5. an officer in the police department, ranking above a lieutenant and usually below an inspector.

6. an officer of the fire department, usually in command of a company, ranking above a lieutenant and below a chief or assistant chief.

7. the commander of a merchant vessel.

8. the pilot of an airplane.

9. a local official in a political party responsible for organizing votes on a ward or precinct level.

10. Sports. the field leader of a team.

    The captain of the home team elected to receive on the kickoff.

11. a person of great power and influence, especially based on economic wealth.

12. headwaiter.

13. bell captain.

14. South Midland and Southern U.S. an unofficial title of respect for a man (sometimes used humorously or ironically).

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verb (used with object)

1. to lead or command as a captain.

captain British  

/ ˈkæptɪn /

noun

1. the person in charge of and responsible for a vessel

2. an officer of the navy who holds a rank junior to a rear admiral but senior to a commander

3. 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

4. the officer in command of a civil aircraft, usually the senior pilot

5. the leader of a team in games

6. a person in command over a group, organization, etc; leader

   a captain of industry

7. a police officer in charge of a precinct

8. (formerly) a head waiter

9. Also called: bell captain.  a supervisor of bellboys in a hotel

10. informal a person who is buying drinks for people in a bar

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verb

1. (tr) to be captain of

Other Word Forms

• captaincy noun
• subcaptain noun
• uncaptained adjective
• undercaptain noun

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

Example Sentences

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews is confident in the United States men's hockey team and its chances of capturing a gold medal at next month's Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

From Barron's

Lawyers are asking a Scottish court to halt the deportation of the captain of the Russian-flagged oil tanker Marinera after it was seized by the US in the North Atlantic.

From BBC

Yorath captained Wales in 42 of his 59 international appearances, and was part of the Leeds side that won the First Division in 1973-74 and lost in the 1975 European Cup final.

From BBC

A cargo ship captain has told a jury at the Old Bailey that he did not lose consciousness or fall asleep in the hours before the vessel he was in command of crashed.

From BBC

After the match, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said he wants Robertson to stay, calling him a "very important" member of the squad.

From BBC

Related Words

• boss
• commander
• director
• executive
• leader
• officer
• operator
• owner
• pilot
• skipper