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Synonyms

sea captain

American  

noun

  1. the master of a seagoing vessel.


sea captain British  

noun

  1. the master of a ship, usually a merchant ship

"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

Etymology

Origin of sea captain

First recorded in 1605–15


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.

See Examples For:

“There are a lot of relationships that we’ll be able to have access to,” within the drone sector, said Bains, a former sea captain turned entrepreneur.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

The detective’s singular pedigree: He’s the son of an Irish folk singer mom and a Basque sea captain dad.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2025

And what of Al Anderson, the Rhode Island fisherman whose myopic devotion to his quarry recalls another famous New England sea captain?

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2023

This bizarre hybrid was bought by Moses Kimball, founder of the Boston Museum, from the family of a sea captain.

From Scientific American ● May 31, 2023

Published in London in 1789, his memoir told of being captured, carried across the ocean to Barbados, and sold to a merchant sea captain.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

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