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

Another senior RSF commander, al-Nour al-Guba, defected late last month and was received in Khartoum by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

From Barron's • May 5, 2026

Hegseth, who has overseen operations, reportedly clashed with Admiral Alvin Holsey, former commander of U.S.

From Salon • May 1, 2026

It comes after Axios reported late Wednesday night that Trump will be receiving a briefing from Brad Cooper, commander of the U.S.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

The following morning, Attenborough and his cameraman were taken to an army compound before being released by a commander.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

On July 23, 1545, the French naval commander Claude d’Annebault decided to withdraw his fleet.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

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