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:
Talarico has made the New Testament command to love thy neighbor a centerpiece of his campaign.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
East and West coasts import foreign fuel to meet local demand largely because there are few Jones Act-compliant oil tankers or cargo ships, and they command higher shipping prices than foreign vessels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
In wartime, the Bali and any other coast guard vessels needed would fall under the command of the navy, according to Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Cal Fire assumed command of the incident from the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
But all that changed when the unit 4 operators arrived at the command center with news of its explosion.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Last Monday, Colonel Ryan Donald, spokesman for the US and South Korean Combined Forces Command, said the Ulchi Freedom exercise would simulate combat against North Korean troops battle-hardened by deployment in the Russia-Ukraine war.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
Central Command, spent several hours aboard the Lincoln meeting with sailors and Marines during a 10-day tour of the region.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
"This is not the time for speculation about the circumstances of the accident. The incident is being investigated by the GNR Command, which is responsible for rigorously establishing the facts," the Volta added.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The US Navy did not immediately provide answers to questions from AFP, but US Central Command posted on X that the crew "remain resilient and resolved after more than 260 days at sea."
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
When I get to Command, the only ones who’ve arrived are Cressida, Messalla, and the insects.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Its AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses can record and be controlled through voice commands.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Stelios said he was satisfied with Apollo’s plans for easyJet and that he and the Haji-Ioannou family, which commands a 15.31% stake in the airline, had agreed to support the transaction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
The LLM's response also comes in the form of tokens, which are converted back into text, software code, or a set of commands to automate a process.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
The more she commands, the more he recedes; he might as well say, “Mrs. Robinson, you’re trying to reduce me.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Piper relayed their commands to Coach Hedge, who was hanging over the side of the ship, banging out dents in the oars.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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
Her husband was Abu Omar Saraqeb, who commanded a coalition of Islamist and jihadist factions that took control of Idlib in 2015 and was killed in an airstrike the following year.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
"History is distinguished with sporting champions whose records have rightly commanded respect across generations," the message read.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Edwin Dreher, the NYPD’s deputy chief, then commanded McDarby to ask the Croat about the LaGuardia bombing.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
Nathan commanded the water to push the jellyfish toward the creatures behind him.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Brasher and Cruz took a commanding 4-1 lead to start the first set, the first of back-and-forth surges by both sides.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Amy Hunt and Dina Asher-Smith made history and Georgia Hunter Bell claimed a commanding 1500m gold as Great Britain maintained their bid to top the final medal table at the European Championships.
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
Takuo Kobayashi, of Japan’s maritime self-defense force, is one of several U.S. allies taking senior leadership roles commanding Rimpac’s thousands of multinational exercises—including one involving the sinking of a pair of decommissioned American warships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
When a German pilot shot down a Pe-2 dive-bomber and found that a woman had been flying it, his commanding officer told him: “Don’t mention it to anyone. We don’t shoot at women.”
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
