supreme commander

American

noun

the military officer commanding all allied forces in a theater of war.

supreme commander British

noun

the military officer in overall command of all forces in one theatre of operations

"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 supreme commander

First recorded in 1940–45

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.

Another soldier happened to be a fan of Mauldin’s work: Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe—Patton’s boss.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

In Nazi Germany, for instance, soldiers took a “holy oath” of “unconditional obedience to the Leader of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, supreme commander of the armed forces.”

From Slate • Nov. 21, 2025

The 60 second spot was aimed at putting a human face on the Republican candidate, the former supreme commander of allied forces in Europe Dwight E Eisenhower, who was widely known by his nickname Ike.

From BBC • Jul. 10, 2025

The president’s main tasks in Lithuania’s political system are overseeing foreign and security policy, and acting as the supreme commander of the armed forces.

From Seattle Times • May 9, 2024

The head teacher, the boss, the supreme commander of this establishment was a formidable middle-aged lady whose name was Miss Trunchbull.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023