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

The ranks of the four serving officers being investigated for gross misconduct are commander, detective chief inspector, detective sergeant and detective constable.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

“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

The military is subordinate to its civilian commander in chief, and as chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he has no direct command of battlefield forces.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

The French were among the first, sending some 50 elite troops, said Gen. Pierre Schill, commander of the French land army.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

Marina chose Yevdokia Bershanskaya to be the commander of the 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

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