captain
noun
a person who is at the head of or in authority over others; chief; leader.
was captaining
-
past progressiveof captain.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
The 30-year-old defender was captaining Luton Town in a Premier League match at Bournemouth on 16 December 2023 when he collapsed mid-game.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2025
An 18-year-old pilot hoping to fly his grandmother and cousins to Riverside for breakfast had to kick into emergency mode when the engine on the small plane he was captaining failed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2023
Duthu was captaining the nearby Rockfish — a liftboat similar to the Seacor Power.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 2, 2021
In Decatur’s case the feud had roots years earlier, when Barron surrendered the ship he was captaining to the British Navy in 1807 — an incident that helped spark the War of 1812.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 22, 2020
Todd steered the boat like he was captaining a great yacht.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
