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Showing results for commanding officer. Search instead for command+interpreter.
Synonyms

commanding officer

American  

noun

  1. Army. a commander of any rank from second lieutenant to colonel.

commanding officer British  

noun

  1. an officer in command of a military unit

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of commanding officer

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Actor James Tolkan, known for his role as the Hill Valley High principal in “Back to the Future” and the no-nonsense commanding officer in “Top Gun” has died.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Capt. David Skarosi, the Ford’s commanding officer, acknowledged what he called the “sting” of the additional extension, adding it caught even him by surprise.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

Maybe not in “Star Trek,” where survivors of its all-absorbing Borg collective include a Starship captain and a commanding officer.

From Salon • Dec. 29, 2025

"Dutch people, when we are born, we know we're going to fight the water," said commanding officer Corporal Michel Vrancken.

From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025

Hunter handed Washington a sample of his ability to swipe intelligence material—a letter that was supposed to go to the commanding officer of British forces in Canada.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.