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
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3
as in to command
to serve as leader of
you did a good job of captaining the team
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of captain
Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Founder Andrew Leith, a captain with over two decades in the fire service, spent much of his career responding to situations that often began with a simple gap in knowledge.
—Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired in January, and longtime personnel executive Rob Brzezinski is set to captain the draft in the absence of a permanent replacement.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for captain
Noun
Prior to Witt’s heroics, Royals team captain Salvador Perez led the charge.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2026
Founder Andrew Leith, a captain with over two decades in the fire service, spent much of his career responding to situations that often began with a simple gap in knowledge.
—Malana Vantyler, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
Verb
Keegan Bradley captained last year's team at Bethpage Black, which had an embarrassing first two days but gave a valiant effort at an unprecedented comeback in Sunday singles.
—Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 2026
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired in January, and longtime personnel executive Rob Brzezinski is set to captain the draft in the absence of a permanent replacement.
—Anthony Bettin, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for captain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captain
Noun
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Mojtaba Khamenei is probably alive, but Vahidi, who is head of -- the commander of the IRGC is probably calling the shots.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Apr. 2026
-
In past years, the association president has been followed by the commander-in-chief, and then a headliner, usually a comedian who roasts everyone in the room.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Previously, warfare was about expensive platforms and precision strikes, driving a downsizing in military forces as countries increasingly relied on cutting-edge technology, said Blythe Crawford, former commandant of the RAF’s Air and Space Warfare Centre.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
10 Apr. 2026
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About 90 minutes after the lockdown took effect, the Naval Academy’s deputy commandant emailed students, telling them that as law enforcement worked to secure the school, a midshipman mistook police for a threat and engaged them, according to the official.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The crowd includes top business leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook and NVIDIA's Jensen Huang.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Senior defender Peyton Johnson, Elizabeth’s older sister, is Oswego’s other team leader.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Then another message landed in their inboxes, this one from a local tycoon’s philanthropic organization.—
Diana Li,
Bloomberg,
24 Apr. 2026
-
More Midwest Castle Experiences Missouri’s popular Ha Ha Tonka State Park holds the ruins of a business tycoon’s dream castle.—
Jacqueline Kehoe,
Midwest Living,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Staff are on hand 24 hours a day to supervise crafts and games, water sports, reef fishing, cookery classes, crab hunts, and marine biologist excursions.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
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Also, the researchers sometimes caught the Claudes trying to cheat by simply instructing the strong model directly rather than figuring out ways to get the weak teacher to supervise the strong model.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Initially treated as a death by natural causes, the case was later ruled a homicide after an undertaker noticed a knife wound on the back of her neck.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Of course, Wall Street is not ruled by individual trading bets.—
Terry Savage,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The agreement included a unique clause, never before reported, that would have reduced the total payment if the NWSL’s 18th club did not command an expansion fee of at least $200 million, according to five people familiar with the agreement.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
28 Apr. 2026
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Ad-pricing improvements and sharper targeting continue to drive roughly 30% year over year top-line growth — a number that commands respect at this scale.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As the new Sox skipper began walking out to the mound, his starter emphatically shook his head from side to side.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Anthony Contreras, the skipper for the team’s Triple-A affiliate, is now the big league third base coach.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captain. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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