COMMANDERS Synonyms: 19 Similar and Opposite Words

commanders

noun

plural of commander

as in commandants

one in official command especially of a military force or base a surrender of the fort by the commander without a single shot having been fired

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in captains

a person in overall command of a ship the intrepid commander of the HMS Surprise

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of commanders The move comes as British counter-terrorism police investigate suspicious activity near the Royal Air Force station and amid reports that US commanders received new information about a possible threat involving Iran. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026 Last month, a court in The Hague, Netherlands, found former Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army commanders guilty of war crimes committed during the 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia. — Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026 By then, fire had ravaged the community; the report suggests that incident commanders were unaware of the devastation. — Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 The planning is meant to create flexibility for the president and commanders overseeing the war, these people said, by moving up to three aircraft carriers and their escort ships into the region in November. — Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026 The government had spent the better part of a year, for instance, decentralizing its political and military bureaucracy so that provincial governors and military commanders could operate without instructions from top leaders. — Mohammad Ayatollahi Tabaar, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026 Finally, the helmets have a bold red stripe on them, which is a reference to the similar stripe worn on the helmets of Apollo mission commanders. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 The Russian military has sought to weaponize Ukraine prisoners of war by forcing them to denounce their commanders, government and homeland in propaganda videos reaching new audiences in the age of social media. — Yasmin Vossoughian, NBC news, 25 Sep. 2026 Some commanders have been reluctant to give up autonomy and their own revenue sources. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for commanders

Noun

That’s by order of the President, who summoned the captains of the AI industry to the nation’s capital Tuesday to discuss AI safety and AI regulation…or, self-regulation.

— Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
Admunsen High School student Alison Segarra and Dundee-Crown High School student Alejandro Gonzalez will serve as the Bears' 2026 Latino Heritage Month Youth Leaders, and will serve as honorary team captains at midfield during the pregame coin toss.

— Noel Brennan, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of captains

Noun

The American League and National League teams will be managed by John Schneider and Dave Roberts, respectively, the skippers of last year’s World Series clubs.

— Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Ludwig says many breakfast skippers end up overeating at night.

— Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 13 May 2026

Definition of skippers

Noun

Dozens of flights to and from Catalina Island have crashed over the years, with pilots saying the airport poses its share of challenges.

— Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
The controller was having trouble hearing the pilots and asked them to repeat their messages, including altitude, several times, according to the audio.

— Anselm Gibbs, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026