Commander

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: com=mand=er

CIDE DICTIONARY

Commander, n. [Cf. F. commandeur. Cf. Commodore, Commender.].

•  A chief; one who has supreme authority; a leader; the chief officer of an army, or of any division of it.  [1913 Webster]

  "A leader and commander to the people."  [1913 Webster]
•  An officer who ranks next below a captain, -- ranking with a lieutenant colonel in the army.  [1913 Webster]
•  The chief officer of a commandery.  [1913 Webster]
•  A heavy beetle or wooden mallet, used in paving, in sail lofts, etc.  [1913 Webster]

Commander in chief, the military title of the officer who has supreme command of the land or naval forces or the united forces of a nation or state; a generalissimo. The President is commander in chief of the army and navy of the United States.

Syn. -- See Chief.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Commander, n.
1 a person who commands, esp.: a a naval officer next in rank below captain. b = wing commander.
2 an officer in charge of a London police district.
3 (in full knight commander) a member of a higher class in some orders of knighthood.
4 a large wooden mallet.

Idiom

commander-in-chief the supreme commander, esp. of a nation's forces. Commander of the Faithful a title of a Caliph.

Derivative

commandership n.

Etymology

ME f. OF comandere, -e{ouml}r f. Rmc (as COMMAND)

THESAURUS

Commander

A per se, ADC, CO, OD, ace, admiral, aide, aide-de-camp, boatswain, boss, brigadier, brigadier general, captain, castellan, champion, chatelain, chatelaine, chicken colonel, chief, chief engineer, chief mate, chief of staff, chief petty officer, colonel, commandant, commander in chief, commanding officer, commissioned officer, commodore, company officer, dean, deck officer, director, ensign, exec, executive, executive officer, field marshal, field officer, first lieutenant, five-star general, fleet admiral, four-star general, fugleman, general, general officer, generalissimo, genius, governor, head, higher-up, intendant, jemadar, junior officer, laureate, leader, lieutenant, lieutenant colonel, lieutenant commander, lieutenant general, lieutenant junior grade, major, major general, manager, marechal, marshal, master, mate, naval officer, navarch, navigating officer, navigator, nonpareil, officer, one-star general, orderly officer, paragon, patron, petty officer, pipes, principal, prodigy, quartermaster, rear admiral, risaldar, ruler, sailing master, second mate, senior, senior officer, shavetail, shipmaster, sirdar, skipper, staff officer, star, subahdar, subaltern, sublieutenant, superior, superman, superstar, the Old Man, the brass, the greatest, the most, three-star general, top brass, top dog, two-star general, vice admiral, virtuoso, warrant officer, watch officer

ROGET THESAURUS

Commander

Master

N master, padrone, lord, lord paramount, commander, commandant, captain, chief, chieftain, sirdar, sachem, sheik, head, senior, governor, ruler, dictator, leader, boss, cockarouse, sagamore, werowance, lord of the ascendant, cock of the walk, cock of the roost, gray mare, mistress, potentate, liege, liege lord, suzerain, sovereign, monarch, autocrat, despot, tyrant, oligarch, crowned head, emperor, king, anointed king, majesty, imperator, protector, president, stadholder, judge, ceasar, kaiser, czar, tsar, sultan, soldan, grand Turk, caliph, imaum, shah, padishah, sophi, mogul, great mogul, khan, lama, tycoon, mikado, tenno, inca, cazique, voivode, landamman, seyyid, Abuna, cacique, czarowitz, grand seignior, prince, duke, archduke, doge, elector, seignior, marland, margrave, rajah, emir, wali, sheik nizam, nawab, empress, queen, sultana, czarina, princess, infanta, duchess, margravine, czarevna, czarita, maharani, rani, rectrix, regent, viceroy, exarch, palatine, khedive, hospodar, beglerbeg, three-tailed bashaw, pasha, bashaw, bey, beg, dey, scherif, tetrarch, satrap, mandarin, subahdar, nabob, maharajah, burgrave, laird, collector, commissioner, deputy commissioner, woon, the authorities, the powers that be, the government, staff, etat major, aga, official, man in office, person in authority, sircar, sirkar, Sublime Porte, marshal, field marshal, marechal, general, generalissimo, commander in chief, seraskier, hetman, lieutenant general, major general, colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, captain, centurion, skipper, lieutenant, first lieutenant, second lieutenant, sublieutenant, officer, staff officer, aide-de-camp, brigadier, brigade major, adjutant, jemidar, ensign, cornet, cadet, subaltern, noncommissioned officer, warrant officer, sergeant, sergeant major, color sergeant, corporal, corporal major, lance corporal, acting corporal, drum major, captain general, dizdar, knight marshal, naik, pendragon, mayor, mayoralty, prefect, chancellor, archon, provost, magistrate, syndic, alcalde, alcaid, burgomaster, corregidor, seneschal, alderman, councilman, committeeman, councilwoman, warden, constable, portreeve, lord mayor, officer, dewan, fonctionnaire, admiral, admiralty, rear admiral, vice admiral, port admiral, commodore, captain, commander, lieutenant, ensign, skipper, mate, master, officer of the day, OD, navarch, da locum melioribus, der Furst ist der erste Diener seines Staats, the prince is the first servant of his state, lord of thy presence and no land beside, master, padrone, lord, lord paramount, commander, commandant, captain, chief, chieftain, sirdar, sachem, sheik, head, senior, governor, ruler, dictator, leader, boss, cockarouse, sagamore, werowance, lord of the ascendant, cock of the walk, cock of the roost, gray mare, mistress, potentate, liege, liege lord, suzerain, sovereign, monarch, autocrat, despot, tyrant, oligarch, crowned head, emperor, king, anointed king, majesty, imperator, protector, president, stadholder, judge, ceasar, kaiser, czar, tsar, sultan, soldan, grand Turk, caliph, imaum, shah, padishah, sophi, mogul, great mogul, khan, lama, tycoon, mikado, tenno, inca, cazique, voivode, landamman, seyyid, Abuna, cacique, czarowitz, grand seignior, prince, duke, archduke, doge, elector, seignior, marland, margrave, rajah, emir, wali, sheik nizam, nawab, empress, queen, sultana, czarina, princess, infanta, duchess, margravine, czarevna, czarita, maharani, rani, rectrix, regent, viceroy, exarch, palatine, khedive, hospodar, beglerbeg, three-tailed bashaw, pasha, bashaw, bey, beg, dey, scherif, tetrarch, satrap, mandarin, subahdar, nabob, maharajah, burgrave, laird, collector, commissioner, deputy commissioner, woon, the authorities, the powers that be, the government, staff, etat major, aga, official, man in office, person in authority, sircar, sirkar, Sublime Porte, marshal, field marshal, marechal, general, generalissimo, commander in chief, seraskier, hetman, lieutenant general, major general, colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, captain, centurion, skipper, lieutenant, first lieutenant, second lieutenant, sublieutenant, officer, staff officer, aide-de-camp, brigadier, brigade major, adjutant, jemidar, ensign, cornet, cadet, subaltern, noncommissioned officer, warrant officer, sergeant, sergeant major, color sergeant, corporal, corporal major, lance corporal, acting corporal, drum major, captain general, dizdar, knight marshal, naik, pendragon, mayor, mayoralty, prefect, chancellor, archon, provost, magistrate, syndic, alcalde, alcaid, burgomaster, corregidor, seneschal, alderman, councilman, committeeman, councilwoman, warden, constable, portreeve, lord mayor, officer, dewan, fonctionnaire, admiral, admiralty, rear admiral, vice admiral, port admiral, commodore, captain, commander, lieutenant, ensign, skipper, mate, master, officer of the day, OD, navarch, da locum melioribus, der Furst ist der erste Diener seines Staats, the prince is the first servant of his state, lord of thy presence and no land beside.