1
as in supervising
to be in charge of
if you do well on this, you'll be asked to captain the next mission
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of captaining
The 35-year-old is not Albacete’s regular No 1 but has been captaining them in their cup campaign.
—
Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The former UConn women’s basketball star is captaining the youngest team in the 3-on-3 league this year, which features four first-time Unrivaled players with an average age of just 24 years old.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 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
The United States team went on to sweep to the gold medal, with Wilson as captaining the team and winning tournament MVP.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Pat Rafter, who is assisting tennis legend and former Bay Area resident Andre Agassi in captaining Team World, certainly knows his squad is facing quite a challenge in trying to stop Alcaraz.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Co-captaining the Time Bandit, the veteran fishermen kicked off a modern-day gold rush — but the race for the rare crab took a dangerous turn when chaos erupted aboard the Titan Explorer and forced Captain Jake Anderson’s crew to abandon ship.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
From being seen as a rugby reject to captaining an NFL team and winning a Super Bowl, Mailata’s story is proof that with dedication and hard work, international athletes can reach the pinnacle of American football.
—Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Around the same time, Emily Bode’s father was captaining his high school football team, which inspired her to choose the silhouette for the collaboration and heavily influenced the retro aesthetic of the marketing.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
The former UConn women’s basketball star is captaining the youngest team in the 3-on-3 league this year, which features four first-time Unrivaled players with an average age of just 24 years old.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 6 Jan. 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
The United States team went on to sweep to the gold medal, with Wilson as captaining the team and winning tournament MVP.
—Tyler Erzberger, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
Pat Rafter, who is assisting tennis legend and former Bay Area resident Andre Agassi in captaining Team World, certainly knows his squad is facing quite a challenge in trying to stop Alcaraz.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Co-captaining the Time Bandit, the veteran fishermen kicked off a modern-day gold rush — but the race for the rare crab took a dangerous turn when chaos erupted aboard the Titan Explorer and forced Captain Jake Anderson’s crew to abandon ship.
—Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
From being seen as a rugby reject to captaining an NFL team and winning a Super Bowl, Mailata’s story is proof that with dedication and hard work, international athletes can reach the pinnacle of American football.
—Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Around the same time, Emily Bode’s father was captaining his high school football team, which inspired her to choose the silhouette for the collaboration and heavily influenced the retro aesthetic of the marketing.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captaining
Verb
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And for supervising sound editor Al Nelson, now Oscar-nominated for his work on the film, that meant getting up close and personal to the powerful cars whizzing around corners on the tracks.—
Beatrice Verhoeven,
HollywoodReporter,
11 Feb. 2026
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These workers keep companies running smoothly, often supervising multiple teams, the report says.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The governing party of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi secured a two-thirds supermajority in a key parliamentary election Sunday, Japanese media reported citing preliminary results, earning a landslide victory thanks to her popularity.—
MARI YAMAGUCHI,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
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But soon after that, the International Skating Union (ISU), skating’s worldwide governing body, made the decision to ban backflips from competition due in large part to the high risk of head and neck injuries.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Judges ruled Lai was the mastermind Lai was arrested in August 2020 under the security law that was used in a years-long crackdown on many of Hong Kong’s leading activists.—
Kanis Leung,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The 15 consecutive wins are also the most under Lawson, who is in her fifth full season leading the Blue Devils (18-6, 13-0).—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In a June 2025 memo to Health Care Agency Director Veronica Kelley, Sabet noted that county staff failed to report its suspicions of abuse by 360 Clinic to the compliance office and fell short in overseeing the county’s $5 million contract with the vendor.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Because the state’s early learning system is still fragmented with multiple agencies overseeing these programs, state leaders are looking for solutions to improve performane.—
Lina Ruiz,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His father was an advisor to the ruling Al Maktoum family and Sulayem played a key role in the ascendance of Dubai as an economic hub.—
Emma Graham,Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Lawsuits hamper National Guard deployments Every deployment except the one in New Orleans has faced significant legal challenges, with multiple judges ruling the mobilizations unlawful.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Glittering red French tips are a simple yet commanding choice—go for a cat-eye finish for extra impact.—
Odeya Pinkus,
InStyle,
7 Feb. 2026
-
There are many games that offer similar FPV warfare experiences, including driving tanks, piloting fighter jets, and commanding submarines.—
Archie Clarke,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With the passage of the INA, Congress tasked immigration courts with handling removal proceedings, thereby stripping district courts of jurisdiction over immigration matters.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Feb. 2026
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The brain is also far more adept at handling things like ambiguity, subtlety, and nuance.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The 30-year-old star, born Austin Richard Post, was born in New York but moved to Grapevine at 9 years old after Malone’s father, Rich Post, took a job managing concessions for the Dallas Cowboys.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Feb. 2026
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He's considered a great in-game coach, who creates advantages in the margins, like on substitution patterns and managing the clock.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captaining.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captaining. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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