1
as in commander
a person in overall command of a ship
the captain is responsible for everything that happens to his ship in the course of a voyage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in commandant
one in official command especially of a military force or base
the captain of the largest army ever marshaled for battle in this country
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in leader
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do
we only do what the captain tells us to, so it's not our fault when things don't work out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in tycoon
a person of rank, power, or influence in a particular field
a fascinating magazine article profiling the captains of the American auto industry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to supervise
to be in charge of
if you do well on this, you'll be asked to captain the next mission
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to rule
to exercise authority or power over
captained the project for a few days while the boss was out of town
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to command
to serve as leader of
you did a good job of captaining the team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of captain
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
The captain explains where to find life jackets, where the lifeboats are located, and how to respond in an emergency.
—Andrew Rosen, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Joseph Bien-Kahn, Rolling Stone, 24 Jan. 2025
Your partner isn’t supposed to captain a boat somewhere far away for several months on end.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captain
Noun
Meanwhile, McNealy is making a strong case to be a captain's pick when Team USA captain Keegan Bradley makes the selections later this year.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025
The captain explains where to find life jackets, where the lifeboats are located, and how to respond in an emergency.
—Andrew Rosen, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
Verb
On Tuesday, January 7th, the first day of the Los Angeles Fires, Andrew Sarvis captained his nine firetrucks toward the homes in the Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and Brentwood.
—Joseph Bien-Kahn, Rolling Stone, 24 Jan. 2025
Your partner isn’t supposed to captain a boat somewhere far away for several months on end.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for captain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captain
Noun
-
Mikkelsen will take the role of mission commander and Philips the role of pilot.—
Richard Tribou,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
-
Tom Schmitt, Indiana commander for the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, served in the U.S. Marine Corps, his inspiration for telling about the Marines’ service during the war.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Fired the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the head of the Transportation Security Administration and the commandant of the Coast Guard.—
Francesca Paris,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2025
-
General Eric Smith, the commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, has said that the Marine Littoral Regiment, which can provide a flexible and rapid response, is designed as a counter to China's aggression and to protect Washington's treaty allies: Japan, South Korea and the Philippines.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
28 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
The subpoenas requested the two union leaders produce documents by Feb. 20 that include any communication — emails, texts messages, Signal messages, WhatsApp messages or any other electronic messages — sent to or received from board members and Gates and Potter.—
Nell Salzman,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The north London side’s 1-0 home defeat to West Ham United on Saturday alongside Liverpool’s 2-0 victory at Manchester City the following day increased the gap between Arsenal and the league leaders to 11 points, although Arsenal have played one game fewer.—
James McNicholas,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Billionaire business tycoon Elon Musk suggested that the International Space Station should be scrapped sooner rather than later.—
Alex Nitzberg,
Fox News,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Washington today echoes with so many uncomfortable reminders of that transitional moment in Moscow—the sudden, fearful silence of critics who had previously spoken out, the business tycoons rushing to kiss the President’s ring, the lying and reality distortions to fit the official narrative.—
Susan B. Glasser,
The New Yorker,
20 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The restoration was supervised by Ross Lipman and Jillian Borders, in consultation with Burnett.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2025
-
Instead of hospital beds, jail cells or the streets, Carroll Respite provides structured, medically supervised care for vulnerable individuals.—
Leslie Simmons,
Baltimore Sun,
18 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
This lineage once ruled the food chain in the time after dinosaurs went extinct, preying on primates, early hippos, early elephants and hyraxes, but were later wiped out themselves.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA TODAY,
19 Feb. 2025
-
The court ultimately ruled in his favor, acquitting him of the charges.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
In this digital age, his occasional social media spats have commanded as much attention as his silky-smooth jump shot.—
Darnell Mayberry,
The Athletic,
23 Feb. 2025
-
The specialty varieties of coffee harvested at the farm have long commanded a hefty premium, reflecting their status as the source of aromatic brews savored like fine wine from Seattle to Seoul.—
Peter S. Goodman,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Snowden has been the skipper of the Truman since December 2023.—
Eleanor Watson,
CBS News,
20 Feb. 2025
-
The skipper thinks Domínguez will be an impactful switch-hitter for years to come, but there’s room for growth.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2025
Articles Related to captain
Cite this Entry
“Captain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captain. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share