commander
noun
com·mand·er
kə-ˈman-dər 
1
: one in an official position of command or control: such as
b
: the presiding officer of a society or organization
2
: a commissioned officer in the navy or coast guard ranking above a lieutenant commander and below a captain
Examples of commander in a Sentence
a surrender of the fort by the commander without a single shot having been fired
the intrepid commander of the HMS Surprise
Recent Examples on the Web
Their lawsuit alleges Quero Silva was the national guard commander who instructed his officers to strip both male and female protestors and then kick and strike them with boots and helmets inside the barracks in Barquisimeto, west of Caracas.
—
Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is the mission commander with aviator John Shoffner as pilot and two mission specialist seats paid for by the Saudi Space Commission, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
Last month, Border Patrol’s Gregory Bovino was removed from his role as commander and returned to his previous job as sector chief in El Centro, California.
—Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Trump dispatched Homan to Minneapolis to replace Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino in a reshuffling of leadership following Pretti’s killing, which sparked nationwide outrage as video of the incident spread on social media.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commander
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Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2026
Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is the mission commander with aviator John Shoffner as pilot and two mission specialist seats paid for by the Saudi Space Commission, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026
Last month, Border Patrol’s Gregory Bovino was removed from his role as commander and returned to his previous job as sector chief in El Centro, California.
—Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 13 Feb. 2026
Trump dispatched Homan to Minneapolis to replace Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino in a reshuffling of leadership following Pretti’s killing, which sparked nationwide outrage as video of the incident spread on social media.
—Julia Manchester, The Hill, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for commander
Cite this Entry
“Commander.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commander. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
commander
noun
com·mand·er
kə-ˈman-dər
1
: one in official command especially of a military force or base
2
: a naval commissioned officer with a rank just below that of captain
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