captain

1 of 2

noun

cap·​tain ˈkap-tən 

 also  ˈkap-ᵊm

1

a(1)

: a military leader : the commander of a unit or a body of troops

(2)

: a subordinate officer commanding under a sovereign or general

(3)

: a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking above a first lieutenant and below a major

b(1)

: a naval officer who is master or commander of a ship

(2)

: a commissioned officer in the navy ranking above a commander and below a commodore and in the coast guard ranking above a commander and below a rear admiral

c

: a senior pilot who commands the crew of an airplane

d

: an officer in a police department or fire department in charge of a unit (such as a precinct or company) and usually ranking above a lieutenant and below a chief

2

: one who leads or supervises: such as

a

: a leader of a sports team or side

b

: headwaiter

c

: a person in charge of hotel bellhops

called also bell captain

3

: a person of importance or influence in a field

captains of industry

captaincy

ˈkap-tən-sē 

noun

captainship

ˈkap-tən-ˌship 

noun

captain

2 of 2

verb

captained; captaining; captains

transitive verb

: to be captain of : lead

captained the football team

Synonyms

Noun

• commander
• skip
• skipper

Verb

• boss
• handle
• head
• overlook
• oversee
• quarterback
• superintend
• supervise

Examples of captain in a Sentence

Noun

The captain has turned off the “fasten seat belt” sign.

the captain is responsible for everything that happens to his ship in the course of a voyage

Verb

The ship was captained by John Smith.

She captained last year's team.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

As someone who was an athlete, a team captain, and a coach and watched sports her whole life, Gaines has incorporated this knowledge into her training to address communications, negotiations, conflict resolution, emotional intelligence, team building, and cooperation, among many other things. —Molly Peck, USA Today, 9 Apr. 2025

These pilots are the only ones allowed to make the 50-mile transit, with the ship’s captain required to cede control for the complex journey through the isthmus passage. —Silvana Paternostro Nathalia Angarita, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

Verb

Claim the Conn Smythe while captaining a team to a Stanley Cup championship? —James Mirtle, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

With Adames captaining the infield, Fitzgerald will slide over to second base. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English capitane, from Anglo-French capitain, from Late Latin capitaneus, adjective & noun, chief, from Latin capit-, caput head — more at head

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1598, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing captain

• bell captain
• captain of industry
• captain's chair
• captain's mast
• co-captain
• group captain
• sea captain

Rhymes for captain

• captan
• hapten
• mercaptan

Kids Definition

captain

1 of 2 noun

cap·​tain ˈkap-tən 

1

a

: the commanding officer of a military unit

b

: a military commissioned officer with a rank just below that of major

2

a

: the commanding officer of a ship

b

: a naval commissioned officer with a rank just below that of commodore

3

: a fire or police department officer with a rank usually between that of chief and lieutenant

4

a

: the leader of a team or side

b

: a person in charge of several waiters in a restaurant

captaincy

-sē 

noun

captain

2 of 2 verb

: to be captain of

Etymology

Noun

Middle English capitane "military leader," from early French capitain (same meaning), from Latin capitaneus "chief," from caput "head" — related to cadet, capital, chief