commander

[ kuh-man-der, -mahn- ]

noun

1. a person who commands.
2. a person who exercises authority; chief officer; leader.
3. the commissioned officer in command of a military unit.
4. U.S. Navy. an officer ranking below a captain and above a lieutenant commander.
5. a police officer in charge of a precinct or other unit.
6. the chief officer of a commandery in the medieval orders of Knights Hospitalers, Knights Templars, and others.
7. a member of one of the higher classes or ranks in certain modern fraternal orders, as in the Knights Templars.

commander

/ kəˈmɑːndə /

noun

1. an officer in command of a military formation or operation
2. a naval commissioned rank junior to captain but senior to lieutenant commander
3. the second in command of larger British warships
4. someone who holds authority
5. a high-ranking member of some knightly or fraternal orders
6. an officer responsible for a district of the Metropolitan Police in London
7. history the administrator of a house, priory, or landed estate of a medieval religious order

Derived Forms

• comˈmanderˌship, noun

Other Words From

• com·mander·ship noun
• subcom·mander noun
• subcom·mander·ship noun
• under·com·mander noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of commander¹

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French comandere, equivalent to comand ( er ) to command + -ere < Latin -ātōr- -ator

Example Sentences

The UK's first border security commander has pledged to keep "chipping away" a people smugglers' business models until they are no longer profitable.

From BBC

The losses are compounded by the “meat grinder” approach said to be favoured by Russian commanders - describing the waves of recruits thrown towards Ukrainian positions in a bid to exhaust troops.

From BBC

After two weeks, Ukraine's top commander claimed to control more than 1,200 sq km of Russian territory and 93 villages.

From BBC

The country's military commander in chief wrote on Telegram that the country had faced 1,000 days of "extremely complex, fierce battle for our existence" and "destroying the enemy".

From BBC

McDonnell has years of organizational charts in his office, and the number of people on the commanders’ chart has grown with more specialized responsibilities.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• administrator
• captain
• chief
• commandant
• director
• head
• officer
• ruler