1
a(1)
: a military leader : the commander of a unit or a body of troops
(2)
: a subordinate officer commanding under a sovereign or general
(3)
: a commissioned officer in the army, air force, or marine corps ranking above a first lieutenant and below a major
b(1)
: a naval officer who is master or commander of a ship
(2)
: a commissioned officer in the navy ranking above a commander and below a commodore and in the coast guard ranking above a commander and below a rear admiral
c
: a senior pilot who commands the crew of an airplane
d
: an officer in a police department or fire department in charge of a unit (such as a precinct or company) and usually ranking above a lieutenant and below a chief
2
: one who leads or supervises: such as
a
: a leader of a sports team or side
b
c
: a person in charge of hotel bellhops
called also bell captain
3
: a person of importance or influence in a field
captains of industry
Synonyms
Examples of captain in a Sentence
Noun
The captain has turned off the “fasten seat belt” sign.
the captain is responsible for everything that happens to his ship in the course of a voyage
Verb
The ship was captained by John Smith.
She captained last year's team.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Boyle was in the U.S. Army for about six years, becoming a captain, and then came to Milwaukee to attend Marquette Law School.
—David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 19 Nov. 2024
Carol Schram, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
New Zealand's Defense Minister has clapped back at claims that the appointment of a female to captain a $61 million navy ship ultimately led to its sinking.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for captain 
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Noun
But the toothy grin of Pat Cummins through his media engagements marked a captain that is especially relaxed before a legacy-defining series for his aging team.
—Tristan Lavalette, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Boyle was in the U.S. Army for about six years, becoming a captain, and then came to Milwaukee to attend Marquette Law School.
—David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 19 Nov. 2024
Verb
When his team defeated the Edmonton Oilers in seven games last June. became the first Finn ever to captain a Cup-winner.
—Carol Schram, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
New Zealand's Defense Minister has clapped back at claims that the appointment of a female to captain a $61 million navy ship ultimately led to its sinking.
—Michael Dorgan, Fox News, 11 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for captain
Articles Related to captain
Dictionary Entries Near captain
Cite this Entry
“Captain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/captain. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
captain
1 of 2 noun
cap·tain
ˈkap-tən 
1
a
: the commanding officer of a military unit
b
: a military commissioned officer with a rank just below that of major
2
a
: the commanding officer of a ship
b
: a naval commissioned officer with a rank just below that of commodore
3
: a fire or police department officer with a rank usually between that of chief and lieutenant
4
a
: the leader of a team or side
b
: a person in charge of several waiters in a restaurant
captain
2 of 2 verb
: to be captain of
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