commander

American  

[kuh-man-der, -mahn-] / kəˈmæn dər, -ˈmɑn- /

noun

1. a person who commands.

2. a person who exercises authority; chief officer; leader.

3. the commissioned officer in command of a military unit.

4. U.S. Navy. an officer ranking below a captain and above a lieutenant commander.

5. a police officer in charge of a precinct or other unit.

6. the chief officer of a commandery in the medieval orders of Knights Hospitalers, Knights Templars, and others.

7. a member of one of the higher classes or ranks in certain modern fraternal orders, as in the Knights Templars.

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commander British  

/ kəˈmɑːndə /

noun

1. an officer in command of a military formation or operation

2. a naval commissioned rank junior to captain but senior to lieutenant commander

3. the second in command of larger British warships

4. someone who holds authority

5. a high-ranking member of some knightly or fraternal orders

6. an officer responsible for a district of the Metropolitan Police in London

7. history the administrator of a house, priory, or landed estate of a medieval religious order

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Other Word Forms

• commandership noun
• subcommander noun
• subcommandership noun
• undercommander noun

Etymology

Origin of commander

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French comandere, equivalent to comand ( er ) to command + -ere < Latin -ātōr- -ator

Explanation

A commander is the person in charge, particularly in the military. If you're in the Navy, your commander gives directions that you're expected to follow. A commander does exactly what it sounds like: she issues instructions or commands and assumes they'll be obeyed. Although there are other kinds of commanders, you're most likely to find the word describing a military official. The President of the United States is considered the "Commander-in-Chief" of the US Armed Forces. The word comes from the Old French comander, "to order."

Example Sentences

“Iran has lost 80% to 90% of its naval capacity,” said retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, a former deputy commander of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Flanked on stage by mission commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen, astronaut Christina Koch called for people on Earth to embrace their shared humanity.

From Barron's • Apr. 11, 2026

But as the commander of Apollo 13 famously said when his spacecraft malfunctioned on the way to the Moon: "Houston, we've had a problem..."

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

District commander for Redcar and Cleveland Emily Harrison said officers remained at the address and an investigation was taking place.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

The initials are those of Hunley commander George Dixon, who led the attack on the Housatonic.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• administrator
• captain
• chief
• commandant
• director
• head
• officer
• ruler