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.
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.
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!
Command, 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.
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.
of, relating to, or for use in the exercise of command: command post.
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.
(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 of
he commands the language
(tr) to receive as due or because of merit
his nature commands respect
to dominate (a view, etc) as from a height
an order; mandate
the act of commanding
the power or right to command
the exercise of the power to command
ability or knowledge; control
a command of French
military the jurisdiction of a commander
a military unit or units commanding a specific area or function, as in the RAF
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
First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English coma(u)nden, from Anglo-French com(m)a(u)nder, Old French comander, from Medieval Latin commandāre, equivalent to Latin com- com- + mandāre “to entrust, order” ( cf. commend); (noun) late Middle English comma(u)nde, from Anglo-French, Old French; the noun is derivative of the verb
A command is an order that you have to follow, as long as the person who gives it has authority over you. You don't have to comply with your friend's command that you give him all your money. Command, which can be a noun or a verb, combines the Latin prefix com-, meaning "with," and mandāre, "to charge, enjoin," so to give someone a command is to say something with the authority that charges him to follow it. Your mother might command you to clean your room. Command can also mean a position of power, like having command of a battleship, or possession of a skill, like having a great command of video games.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
These weapons allow the US to conduct precision strikes against hardened military targets, such as command bunkers or fortified military facilities, without putting manned aircraft in harm's way.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
In a 1-1 count, Klein, who had struggled with command, went back to the fastball, knowing he could throw it for a strike.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
“No one in command could claim under the circumstances not to have known what was happening, even if they did not give orders to those under their control to do it,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Drapaty was immediately moved to become head of Ukraine's joint forces command, from where he pushed for reforms inside the system.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
Late in 1955, just after the Soviet hydrogen bomb test, the phone in the command center began to ring.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
"We disabled the tanker after the crew attempted to run the blockade at least four times prior," Navy Captain Tim Hawkins, spokesman for US Central Command, told AFP.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Central Command, responsible for the Middle East, declined to comment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
US Central Command also said it had "redirected" three vessels trying to circumvent the blockade since it went back into effect amid renewed fighting.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Central Command announced a sixth straight day of strikes against Iran, focused on missile, drone and shipping-threat facilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Although Kappe had made himself valuable to the German High Command by positioning himself as an expert on America, Dasch believed that Kappe's knowledge was limited in scope to the German American conflict.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
“It’s fighting for its existence and taking heavy casualties, so there is nothing surprising in its people and its soldiers caring an enormous amount about who commands them.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
“There is no moviegoing destination anywhere in the world that commands the affection, history, and cultural significance of the Cinerama Dome,” Sony Pictures Entertainment Chief Executive Ravi Ahuja said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Owens’ arguments are often nonsensical, but because she commands an audience of more than 6 million YouTube subscribers, they have enough power to force the rest of the commentary class to rebut them.
From Slate ● Jul. 21, 2026
She commands widespread respect and has little association with political parties.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Dog owners out for a stroll would continuously pass by, pulling on leashes and calling out commands to keep their animals from scurrying under the tables and sniffing the ankles and shoes of the players.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
In a video which went viral, he commanded an infantry vehicle as it smashed through a makeshift barricade set up by pro-Moscow forces in the southern city of Mariupol.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
"That first half was brilliant. England dominated, commanded and controlled everything," added former England wing Ugo Monye.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Edwin Dreher, the NYPD’s deputy chief, then commanded McDarby to ask the Croat about the LaGuardia bombing.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
According to Counterpoint Research, Meta commanded 84% of global market share for smart glasses in the first quarter of 2026.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
“Have fresh flowers brought in, first thing,” she commanded.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
At Tuesday’s closing price of $193.92, the recently issued American depositary receipts of SK Hynix were commanding a 38% premium to Wednesday’s closing price of its local shares listed in Seoul.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
A beaming Gaud raised the ball to an applauding Lord's pavilion as she led India off the field having put her side in a commanding position for victory.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
Released on May 28, the LP contains 23 corridos, which see Laija García strike the commanding tone of brazen CEO.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
Possibly the actor was chosen for his commanding height, which is the only thing about him that’s right for the role; Washington stood 6-foot-2.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
“Nathaniel,” said Mr.-Derby, “Captain Prince is commanding a ship of mine—the Henry—on a voyage to Bourbon. He agrees with me that you’d make an excellent clerk.”
From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham
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.
