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

Months later, Munir was back in the U.S. to attend General Kurilla’s farewell event in Florida, and welcome the incoming commander Admiral Brad Cooper.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Derek Evans, NCA branch commander, said Shamo and Khdir operated "like a travel agency".

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

LeMay, wrote journalist Richard Reeves in “President Kennedy: Profile of Power,” told his commander in chief he didn’t need Kennedy’s gratitude.

From Salon • Apr. 8, 2026

"We have been waiting for this like you can't imagine," said Artemis II mission commander Reid Weisman as his crew began the call with astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

As soon as the commander had taken her seat with the panel of professors who would decide my fate, I turned and glared at Regan.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Related Words

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