1
as in commanders
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 commandants
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 leaders
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 tycoons
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 supervises
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 rules
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 commands
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 captains
Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Up next is Tezzus and diamond*, the de facto captains of ØWay, who have taken the modern rapper’s scalpel to his jagged flows in a way that’s beyond straight mimicry.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 24 Apr. 2026
For the first time in decades, the captains abandon familiar fishing grounds to chase a rare breed of Red King Crab lurking in the frozen waters of the far North.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
Del Toro and Spenny, who also came up to the varsity as freshmen, are co-captains along with Marzullo.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
The captains were the fathers, or at least the grandfathers, of this genre.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
Which means that captains had to go right by Iran's shores to get through the Strait … effectively creating a chokepoint for the global economy.
—James Sneed, NPR, 14 Apr. 2026
Ship captains are too nervous to enter the waterway, choking off supply and sending prices spiraling.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
When vessels slow down to speeds of 10 knots or lower, studies show that can reduce the risk of vessel strikes by allowing more time for whales to get out of the way, or for captains to detect them and alter their course.
—Daniel Crocker, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
Tom Burrows, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Rush lost two of his top players to The Bennett School when Reeder and fellow senior Harper Gates, both now captains for the Rebels’ premiere team, decided to pursue the new opportunity.
—Jon Poorman, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
Tigertail, 36, who captains airboat tours through the Everglades, is navigating his boat through the only route available given how dry the park has gotten this year.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee captains the South Korean team that finished as runner-up to Team Japan in Pool C from Tokyo.
—Shayna Rubin, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Mar. 2026
Virgil Van Dijk, Netherlands defender Virgil Van Dijk, who captains Liverpool, has widely been regarded as the best defender in the world for the last eight years.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
As Olivia Walker in the Netflix thriller, the actress captains the White House's Situation Room with the world on the brink of nuclear war.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
And, John Kraus, who captains the Spirit, is ready.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Once the final direct qualifiers have been determined, captains Bradley and Luke Donald must select the remaining six members of their teams.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Noun
Just more than two minutes before the first intermission, the physical nature of the series boiled over in a series of scuffles that ended with referee Graham Skilliter meeting with the captains of both teams.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Up next is Tezzus and diamond*, the de facto captains of ØWay, who have taken the modern rapper’s scalpel to his jagged flows in a way that’s beyond straight mimicry.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 24 Apr. 2026
For the first time in decades, the captains abandon familiar fishing grounds to chase a rare breed of Red King Crab lurking in the frozen waters of the far North.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026
Del Toro and Spenny, who also came up to the varsity as freshmen, are co-captains along with Marzullo.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2026
The captains were the fathers, or at least the grandfathers, of this genre.
—Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
Which means that captains had to go right by Iran's shores to get through the Strait … effectively creating a chokepoint for the global economy.
—James Sneed, NPR, 14 Apr. 2026
Ship captains are too nervous to enter the waterway, choking off supply and sending prices spiraling.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026
When vessels slow down to speeds of 10 knots or lower, studies show that can reduce the risk of vessel strikes by allowing more time for whales to get out of the way, or for captains to detect them and alter their course.
—Daniel Crocker, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
Verb
Safonov, who also captains his country, signed for PSG two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
—Tom Burrows, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Rush lost two of his top players to The Bennett School when Reeder and fellow senior Harper Gates, both now captains for the Rebels’ premiere team, decided to pursue the new opportunity.
—Jon Poorman, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
Tigertail, 36, who captains airboat tours through the Everglades, is navigating his boat through the only route available given how dry the park has gotten this year.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee captains the South Korean team that finished as runner-up to Team Japan in Pool C from Tokyo.
—Shayna Rubin, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Mar. 2026
Virgil Van Dijk, Netherlands defender Virgil Van Dijk, who captains Liverpool, has widely been regarded as the best defender in the world for the last eight years.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
As Olivia Walker in the Netflix thriller, the actress captains the White House's Situation Room with the world on the brink of nuclear war.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
And, John Kraus, who captains the Spirit, is ready.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Once the final direct qualifiers have been determined, captains Bradley and Luke Donald must select the remaining six members of their teams.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captains
Noun
-
Such an agreement would require battling — and even dismantling — an entrenched and incompetent bureaucracy to speed up economic reforms, and getting rid of old-school historic commanders and everyone else in the government, the Communist Party and the top military echelons standing in the way.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
23 Apr. 2026
-
The previous round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, in 2023–24, devastated the militia, destroyed much of its missile and drone arsenal, and killed most of its senior battlefield commanders and political leaders.—
Hussein Ibish,
The Atlantic,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Lawmakers fast-tracked the measures From the session’s opening bell Tuesday morning, Republican leaders moved swiftly.—
Bill Barrow,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Nevertheless, the state’s governor, attorney general and legislative leaders were meeting to discuss how the state would respond.—
Nicholas Riccardi,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
From Hong Kong to Seoul, tycoons are offering cash and perks to boost birth rates, testing whether private wealth can succeed where governments have struggled.—
Diana Li,
Bloomberg,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Steyer has most pointedly taken aim at tech company tycoons who have put millions into San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan’s campaign for governor.—
ANDREW GRAHAM,
Sacbee.com,
28 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The Chinese government officially recognizes five religions — Buddhism, Taoism, Catholicism, Protestantism and Islam — and tightly supervises them.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
The group recruits, trains and supervises volunteers who represent children in the foster care system in juvenile courts, according to its website.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
If the court rules in favor of Musk, OpenAI’s rivals would be emboldened to take the lead in the AI race.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Scorpio rules shared resources and mutual debts—not just financial, but emotional.—
Glamour,
Glamour,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Dean's commitment to authenticity in his music is precisely why Magnolia Sage stands firmly in the territory of a future classic and commands Dean's presence as an artist's artist.—
Chris Barilla,
PEOPLE,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Don’t look now, but Live Nation is shedding its low-margin promoter roots and emerging as a dominant venue owner/operator that increasingly commands the kind of premium valuation multiple its scale, control and economics justify.—
Justin Zacks,
CNBC,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There’s also a growing crop of youngish skippers who made the managerial turn quite quickly after their playing days.—
Tyler Estep,
AJC.com,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Now, skippers compete in races on different classes of ice boats.—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Use your diplomatic skills when dealing with parents, bosses, teachers or VIPs to avoid power struggles.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Secretaries are paying the same amount into Social Security as their bosses.—
Naperville Sun,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captains. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
