commanding

adjective

com·​mand·​ing kə-ˈman-diŋ 

1

: drawing attention or priority

a commanding presence

2

: difficult to overcome

a commanding lead

commandingly

kə-ˈman-diŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• chief
• first
• foremost
• head
• high
• lead
• leading
• preeminent
• premier
• presiding
• primary
• prime
• principal
• supereminent
• supreme
• top

Examples of commanding in a Sentence

He has a very commanding voice.

She holds a commanding lead in the polls.

Our team was in a commanding position as the game neared its end.

The castle is in a commanding position at the top of the hill.

The hill provides a commanding view of the surrounding countryside.

Recent Examples on the Web

Just a few days ago, the Golden State Warriors held a commanding 3-1 lead in a first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 3 May 2025

The Golden State Warriors travel to the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs, with the Warriors holding a commanding 3-1 lead and the Rockets looking to extend the series. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

The Timberwolves had a commanding 2-0 lead over Denver in last year’s West semifinals. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 29 Apr. 2025

In Game 3, the Grizzlies jumped out to a 29-point lead and built tremendous momentum, but allowed OKC to complete the second-largest comeback in NBA playoff history to take a commanding 3-0 lead. —Nick Crain, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing commanding

• commanding officer
• commanding presence

Rhymes for commanding

• demanding
• disbanding
• expanding
• freestanding
• misbranding
• outstanding
• remanding
• upstanding
• withstanding
• banding
• branding
• handing