commanding

[ kuh-man-ding, -mahn- ]

/ kəˈmæn dɪŋ, -ˈmɑn- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR commanding ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

being in command: a commanding officer.

appreciably superior or imposing; winning; sizable: a commanding position; a commanding lead in the final period.

having the air, tone, etc., of command; imposing; authoritative: a man of commanding appearance; a commanding voice.

dominating by position, usually elevation; overlooking: a commanding bluff at the mouth of the river.

(of a view, or prospect) provided by a commanding location and so permitting dominance: a commanding view of the mouth of the river.

Nearby words

commander, commander in chief, commander islands, commander-in-chief, commandery, commanding, commanding officer, commandingly, commandment, commandments, ten, commando

Origin of commanding

First recorded in 1475–85; command + -ing²

Related formscom·mand·ing·ly, adverbcom·mand·ing·ness, nounqua·si-com·mand·ing, adjectivequa·si-com·mand·ing·ly, adverb

Definition for commanding (2 of 2)

command

[ kuh-mand, -mahnd ]

/ kəˈmænd, -ˈmɑnd /

verb (used with object)

to direct with specific authority or prerogative; order: The captain commanded his men to attack.

to require authoritatively; demand: She commanded silence.

to have or exercise authority or control over; be master of; have at one's bidding or disposal: The Pharaoh commanded 10,000 slaves.

to deserve and receive (respect, sympathy, attention, etc.): He commands much respect for his attitude.

to dominate by reason of location; overlook: The hill commands the sea.

to have authority over and responsibility for (a military or naval unit or installation); be in charge of.

verb (used without object)

to issue an order or orders.

to be in charge; have authority.

to occupy a dominating position; look down upon or over a body of water, region, etc.

noun

the act of commanding or ordering.

an order given by one in authority: The colonel gave the command to attack.

Military.

an order in prescribed words, usually given in a loud voice to troops at close-order drill: The command was “Right shoulder arms!”
the order of execution or the second part of any two-part close-order drill command, as face in Right face!
(initial capital letter) a principal component of the U.S. Air Force: Strategic Air Command.
a body of troops or a station, ship, etc., under a commander.

the possession or exercise of controlling authority: a lieutenant in command of a platoon.

expertise; mastery: He has a command of French, Russian, and German.

British. a royal order.

power of dominating a region by reason of location; extent of view or outlook: the command of the valley from the hill.

Computers.

an electric impulse, signal, or set of signals for initiating an operation in a computer.
a character, symbol, or item of information for instructing a computer to perform a specific task.
a single instruction.

adjective

of, relating to, or for use in the exercise of command: a command car; command post.

of or relating to a commander: a command decision.

ordered by a sovereign, as if by a sovereign, or by the exigencies of a situation: a command performance.

Origin of command

1250–1300; (v.) Middle English coma(u)nden < Anglo-French com(m)a(u)nder, Old French comander < Medieval Latin commandāre, equivalent to Latin com- com- + mandāre to entrust, order (cf. commend); (noun) late Middle English comma(u)nde < Anglo-French, Old French, noun derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR command

1 bid, demand, charge, instruct, enjoin.

3 govern, control, oversee, manage, lead.

4 exact, compel, require, claim, secure.

10 direction, bidding, injunction, charge, mandate, instruction.

13 ascendancy, sway, domination.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR command ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR command

1, 7 obey.

SEE MORE ANTONYMS FOR command ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formscommand·a·ble, adjectivepre·com·mand, noun, verbun·com·mand·ed, adjectivewell-com·mand·ed, adjective

Synonym study

1. See direct. 3. See rule.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for commanding

This is both an outstanding work of scholarship and a commanding visual document.
The Best Coffee Table Books of 2014|Robert Birnbaum|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As his later wartime record would show, Jackson was extremely competent in the many skills required of a commanding general.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Early polling shows her with a commanding—if not outright prohibitive—lead among Democratic voters.
Obama’s 2008 Backers: We’re Ready for Warren|David Freedlander|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At one point the commanding general, General Throckmorton, was told that there was gunfire raking a street.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon Shows Us How Not to Govern|Eleanor Clift|August 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Scourges, he says, “are killers who act, momentarily, as agents freed from sacred order and its commanding truths.”
The Real Nightmare of Ferguson|James Poulos|August 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like all men of commanding sense and character, he was exacting.
Throckmorton|Molly Elliot Seawell
I was not thinking of commanding the flanking party myself, sir.
A Victorious Union|Oliver Optic
But it is of far more importance that you learn to command yourself, than that you should be raised higher in commanding others.
Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter Scott, Volume 6|John Gibson Lockhart
Only the commanding officer leaned out of his window to chuckle at me.
A Woman's Impression of the Philippines|Mary H. (Mary Helen) Fee
His combined features were commanding and prepossessing, his physiognomy indicating a gigantic intellect.
Sages and Heroes of the American Revolution|L. Carroll Judson

British Dictionary definitions for commanding (1 of 3)

commanding

/ (kəˈmɑːndɪŋ) /

adjective (usually prenominal)

being in command

having the air of authoritya commanding voice

(of a position, situation, etc) exerting control

(of a height, viewpoint, etc) overlooking; advantageous

Derived Formscommandingly, adverb

British Dictionary definitions for commanding (2 of 3)

command

/ (kəˈmɑːnd) /

verb

(when tr, may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to order, require, or compel

to have or be in control or authority over (a person, situation, etc)

(tr) to have knowledge or use ofhe commands the language

(tr) to receive as due or because of merithis nature commands respect

to dominate (a view, etc) as from a height

noun

an order; mandate

the act of commanding

the power or right to command

the exercise of the power to command

ability or knowledge; controla command of French

mainly military the jurisdiction of a commander

a military unit or units commanding a specific area or function, as in the RAF

British

an invitation from the monarch
(as modifier)a command performance

computing a word or phrase that can be selected from a menu or typed after a prompt in order to carry out an action

Word Origin for command

C13: from Old French commander, from Latin com- (intensive) + mandāre to entrust, enjoin, command

British Dictionary definitions for commanding (3 of 3)

Command

/ (kəˈmɑːnd) /

noun

any of the three main branches of the Canadian military forcesAir Command

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

Idioms and Phrases with commanding

command

In addition to the idiom beginning with command

command performance

also see:

have a good command

commanding

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of commanding

Definition for commanding (2 of 2)

command

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

adjective

Origin of command

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for commanding

British Dictionary definitions for commanding (1 of 3)

commanding

adjective (usually prenominal)

British Dictionary definitions for commanding (2 of 3)

command

verb

noun

Word Origin for command

British Dictionary definitions for commanding (3 of 3)

Command

noun

Idioms and Phrases with commanding

command