1
as in commanders
a person in overall command of a ship
the captain is responsible for everything that happens to his ship in the course of a voyage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in commandants
one in official command especially of a military force or base
the captain of the largest army ever marshaled for battle in this country
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in leaders
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do
we only do what the captain tells us to, so it's not our fault when things don't work out
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in tycoons
a person of rank, power, or influence in a particular field
a fascinating magazine article profiling the captains of the American auto industry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in supervises
to be in charge of
if you do well on this, you'll be asked to captain the next mission
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in rules
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 commands
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 captains
Stuart James, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Naming five captains is quite a bit, but Curt Colarullo had intention behind it.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
Tech entrepreneurs eyeing cannabis resembled the ship captains of the age of exploration.
—Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
Since then there have been five other Yankee captains — Willie Randolph.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
Vrabel and team captains are expected to address the crowd.
—Mike Toole, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The brothers, captains for their respective teams, were thrust into the national hockey spotlight thanks to their performance, and fighting skills, for Team USA in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2026
Coach Mike MacDonald rotates his captains each week representing offense, defense and special teams.
—Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The two team captains for the game are Latin superstar singer J Balvin and YouTube creator and comedian Druski.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
Fernandez is also one of the main leaders in the dressing room and regularly captains Chelsea when Reece James is not on the pitch.
—Simon Johnson, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
As Olivia Walker in the Netflix thriller, the actress captains the White House's Situation Room with the world on the brink of nuclear war.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
And, John Kraus, who captains the Spirit, is ready.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Once the final direct qualifiers have been determined, captains Bradley and Luke Donald must select the remaining six members of their teams.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Gracely, who usually captains larger vessels—oil tankers, container ships—described a stretch when the boat ran on battery power down the Atchafalaya River.
—Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
Silva, who was like a man possessed throughout (more about what teams should expect from captains later), understood the significance.
—Stuart James, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Naming five captains is quite a bit, but Curt Colarullo had intention behind it.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
Tech entrepreneurs eyeing cannabis resembled the ship captains of the age of exploration.
—Scott Eden, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2026
Since then there have been five other Yankee captains — Willie Randolph.
—Bill Madden, New York Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
Vrabel and team captains are expected to address the crowd.
—Mike Toole, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The brothers, captains for their respective teams, were thrust into the national hockey spotlight thanks to their performance, and fighting skills, for Team USA in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2026
Coach Mike MacDonald rotates his captains each week representing offense, defense and special teams.
—Darren Cooper, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
The two team captains for the game are Latin superstar singer J Balvin and YouTube creator and comedian Druski.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
Virgil Van Dijk, Netherlands defender Virgil Van Dijk, who captains Liverpool, has widely been regarded as the best defender in the world for the last eight years.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 7 Dec. 2025
Fernandez is also one of the main leaders in the dressing room and regularly captains Chelsea when Reece James is not on the pitch.
—Simon Johnson, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025
As Olivia Walker in the Netflix thriller, the actress captains the White House's Situation Room with the world on the brink of nuclear war.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
And, John Kraus, who captains the Spirit, is ready.
—Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
Once the final direct qualifiers have been determined, captains Bradley and Luke Donald must select the remaining six members of their teams.
—Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Aug. 2025
Gracely, who usually captains larger vessels—oil tankers, container ships—described a stretch when the boat ran on battery power down the Atchafalaya River.
—Adam Iscoe, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for captains
Noun
-
In another, the embryo transfer had taken place in a bedroom, where she was surrounded by military commanders.—
Ava Kofman,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Treatment was largely ad hoc and depended to a considerable degree on individual commanders, but customarily prisoners would be exchanged or placed on parole—granted their freedom but required by oath not to return to military action.—
Drew Gilpin Faust,
The Atlantic,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Support for the measure was offered by some, including union leaders, who warned residents, particularly seniors, are likely to struggle if a local solution to federal budget cuts isn’t adopted.—
Sierra Lopez,
Mercury News,
12 Feb. 2026
-
City leaders are directing residents with questions or concerns to contact their state representatives and pledged transparency if new information emerges.—
Christopher Harris,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
But where does Ted Turner live now that other tycoons have bought up enough acreage to surpass his record?—
Katie Schultz,
Architectural Digest,
6 Feb. 2026
-
During the Cannes Film Festival, tycoons and oligarchs feature on the guest list, rubbing shoulders with high-profile celebrities who relax with croquet games between press junkets.—
Mary Winston Nicklin,
AFAR Media,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Rodriguez works at an after-school program in Orange County and supervises third graders.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
-
The position directly supervises all parole agent specialists and parole agent supervisors assigned to the Division of Training Unit.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
January 5,
Sacbee.com,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
For people that are not tracking what that actually means, that means that ICE can do almost no arrests in the entire country … If a court rules that there’s a final order of removal, they’re removed actually by an administrative warrant, not a judicial warrant.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Judge rules federal prosecutors can't seek death penalty Mangione, 27, is facing both federal and state charges in the 2024 killing of Thompson.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The free agent signing has been a huge factor in the trenches and commands a lot of attention from opposing offensive lines.—
Boston Herald staff,
Boston Herald,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Bourgeois commands a social media audience approaching six million followers, primarily through trainspotting content.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Now, skippers compete in races on different classes of ice boats.—
Noel Brennan,
CBS News,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Keep your eyes open for Martial and Mallow scrub-hairstreaks, lyside sulphurs, malachites, and a variety of skippers fluttering among the blooms.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The Washington Post’s sportswriters could cover anything—and did—because we were taught to look with a hard eye, write vividly and observationally, and hit our deadlines no matter what, which made other section bosses always want us.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Similar sentiments could be seen at elsewhere, where rank-and-file employees expressed far more vocal outrage than their bosses.—
Alessandro Piazza,
Fortune,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Captains.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/captains. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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