commanding officer
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of commanding officer
First recorded in 1790–1800
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.
At the time, he was the commanding officer of the New York Police Department Arson & Explosion Squad, one of hundreds of first responders racing against the current of pedestrians to get to Ground Zero.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
When access to these documents was finally promised, three months later, Mathipa had a premonition that he would be murdered - according to Brig Paulina Sekgobela, his commanding officer.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The decision was controversial because every commanding officer in the British military has a legal obligation to alert military police if they become aware that someone under their command may have committed a war crime.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
"We share the nature of the event, its context and exact position," commanding officer Thomas Scalabre tells AFP in a basement in the French city of Brest.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
Without any greeting whatsoever, the commanding officer announced: “Mandela, we have found your manuscript.”
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
