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

Commander Stephen Clayman, the NPCC's lead for knife crime, says the recent ban was a step forward - but more action is needed.

From BBC

The American president is, after all, the commander in chief of the world’s most formidable fighting machine, and the figure ultimately responsible for the nation’s safety and security.

From Los Angeles Times

At least two of those relationships with civilian Pentagon chiefs — retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis and Army combat veteran Mark Esper — resulted in open acrimony, despite a long-standing reluctance on the part of current and retired military officers to publicly criticize the commander in chief.

From Los Angeles Times

President Joe Biden chose to appoint a retired four-star general, Secretary Lloyd Austin, who served as the commander of US Central Command and faced some criticism from lawmakers for not informing the White House about undergoing medical procedures while in office.

From BBC

“Inside it's like many buses all bolted together. In half a day you might never see another person,” explains Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, commander on the Expedition 35 mission in 2012-13.

From BBC

Related Words

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