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
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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:
Poland's military command said it had mobilised aircraft and activated air defences aimed at protecting Polish airspace, particularly in areas bordering Ukraine.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
"At that stage our members would not continue in that pursuit and the directions that were given by our command and control centre were to disengage," she said.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
Still, Texas Instruments has been able to command premium prices for its calculators, largely because many high-schoolers have no choice but to buy them.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The appointments came with aggressive goals that included tightening the military chain of command, turning an ideological militia into a neighborhood intelligence agency and emphasizing an offensive approach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
The command desk does not say anything about the recording I sent.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
"As Germany and Poland, we are NATO, we are friends, and we are allies," said Major General Tilo Maedler, Chief of the Bundeswehr Joint Force Command.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Charlie Eastaugh, director of maritime and small boats at the Border Security Command, told the BBC that "last Thursday alone, the French prevented all three of the boats that tried to cross".
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Supplies for the vessels—food, fuel, assorted goods for the shops on board—come from local suppliers in the region or from ports, especially in Bahrain, where ships with the Navy’s Combat Logistics Command bring in supplies.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, hasn’t announced any retaliatory strikes on targets in Iran since late July.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
I immediately recruited Joe Slovo, and along with Walter Sisulu, we formed the High Command with myself as chairman.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Its AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses can record and be controlled through voice commands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Another function is to translate a jumble of oral commands into a clear and concise text message.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 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
ISAs are the language through which software tells a chip’s processor what to do, such as perform calculations, move data or execute commands in a program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
She commands your company for tea this very afternoon!”
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
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
North Korea has deepened its ties with Russia since the Kremlin commanded the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 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
“Go change your dress, great-granddaughter. We’re going to visit your father,” he commanded her.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
He marshals his commanding technique with the openness and vulnerability that have distinguished his whole career.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Posing for photos poolside, Domingo was the picture of laid-back charm, chatting with the crew in that commanding leather-and-gravel voice and flashing a toothsome smile.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 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
When he spoke, his voice was loud and commanding.
From "Caterpillar Summer" by Gillian McDunn
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.
