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Synonyms

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.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

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.

He served as a fire support team commander in the 4th Regiment Royal Artillery.

From BBC

Reports emerged that Gregory Bovino had been relieved from his position as “commander at large” for Border Patrol and would return to his role as sector chief in El Centro, California, before quietly retiring.

From Salon

Recent investigations have led to the removal of several commanders of the rocket force, the Chinese military branch responsible for the silos.

From The Wall Street Journal

A hundred or so protesters there gathered loudly and urged the border control commander to leave the city.

From BBC

Until now, Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino has overseen the federal government’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota.

From Los Angeles Times