1
as in supervising
to be in charge of
if you do well on this, you'll be asked to captain the next mission
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in governing
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 leading
to serve as leader of
you did a good job of captaining the team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of captaining
Meanwhile, the man captaining the boat that gets her into the Amazon is possessed by thoughts of a lost love, a story even a head-in-her-hands Tereza is exhausted by.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
However, Brady, alongside Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts, is captaining one of the teams.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Bryk was introduced in Season 1 as Ebon, a rough-around-the-edges Boston guy who spends his summers among the blue-blooded elite, captaining a charter boat for senators and celebrities.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2026
Mikael Granlund didn’t play for the Ducks after captaining Finland to bronze in Milan.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2026
Mikael Granlund didn't play for Anaheim after captaining Finland to bronze in Milan.
—CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Aaron Benjamin, 30, drowned on February 19 while solo-captaining a raft in Hance Rapid, a formidable section of the Colorado River.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 23 Feb. 2026
And so perhaps captaining a team to an Olympic gold medal will change the way Matthews is seen in the hockey world.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
That 2023 tournament generated tremendous international excitement, with superstars such as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto competing for Japan; Francisco Lindor captaining Puerto Rico; and Juan Soto leading the Dominican Republic.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 3 Apr. 2026
However, Brady, alongside Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts, is captaining one of the teams.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Bryk was introduced in Season 1 as Ebon, a rough-around-the-edges Boston guy who spends his summers among the blue-blooded elite, captaining a charter boat for senators and celebrities.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Mar. 2026
Mikael Granlund didn’t play for the Ducks after captaining Finland to bronze in Milan.
—Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2026
Mikael Granlund didn't play for Anaheim after captaining Finland to bronze in Milan.
—CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
Aaron Benjamin, 30, drowned on February 19 while solo-captaining a raft in Hance Rapid, a formidable section of the Colorado River.
—Owen Clarke, Outside, 23 Feb. 2026
And so perhaps captaining a team to an Olympic gold medal will change the way Matthews is seen in the hockey world.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
That 2023 tournament generated tremendous international excitement, with superstars such as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto competing for Japan; Francisco Lindor captaining Puerto Rico; and Juan Soto leading the Dominican Republic.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captaining
Verb
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At that hearing, Alex Adams, supervising deputy district attorney for the juvenile justice unit in the District Attorney’s Office, informed the judge of their motion to transfer the defendant to adult criminal court for prosecution.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The film brings together leading creative talents from 12 countries, including South Korea, with key contributors such as animation supervisor Jae Hyung Kim (Toy Story 4, Inside Out), supervising producer David Lipman (Shrek franchise) and production designer Marcin Jakubowski (Klaus).—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Brilliant, strong, visionary, a far different approach to governing as that nation’s first woman leader.—
Kevin Powell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Despite these risks, the five-year plans governing the expensive and time-consuming cleanups at the sites often failed to account for damage posed by flooding from sea-level rise and more frequent storms and wildfire, the IG’s review found.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Sunday’s match, which was interrupted by rain with Siniakova/Townsend leading 6-5 in the first set, was a rematch of the Indian Wells semifinals, where Siniakova/Townsend won 6-2, 6-2.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
30 Mar. 2026
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There wasn’t anything inherently wrong with this, but outsourcing the writing to professionals only underscored the degree to which this humble document, once meant to blunt the puffery of the cover letter, had now become the leading weapon in the job seeker’s arsenal.—
Stephen Mihm,
Twin Cities,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In her role, Tyson will lead day-to-day financial matters, overseeing all fiscal operations and long-term financial planning, focusing on budgeting, forecasting and revenue distribution.—
Sportico Staff,
Sportico.com,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Pohlad, who took over in December for his younger brother, Joe, has been overseeing business operations and will continue to do so for the near future.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Tobolowsky previously rejected motions from other Gateway elders, ruling that the suit was not a religious issue and could be handled in secular court.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 Apr. 2026
-
And for as long as states have been ruling one another, there have been wars of independence.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By inning’s end, the Mets had a commanding 5-0 lead.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The exhibit featured photos of Oloyede commanding Florida A&M’s band, along with her uniform jacket and a tall major shako (military-style) hat.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Be careful when handling debris that may have blown into your yard.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
2 Apr. 2026
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Gas prices crossed an average of $4 a gallon nationally this week and just 24% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling that issue, a new CNN/SSRS poll released March 31 found.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Cooking, handling special requests and managing busy environments still depend on people.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Wait times listed on the MyTSA mobile app may not be accurate because TSA isn’t actively managing its sites during the shutdown.—
John Raby,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captaining. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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