Captain — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈkap-tən/ cap·tain

Meaning & Definition of Captain

Captain (noun)

  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

Captain (verb)

  1. to be captain of, lead

Captain (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. 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"

    similar: commander, skip, skipper
    related: sea captain, master, pilot, commanding officer, admiral, commodore, vice admiral, mate, officer
    near: crew, crewman, crewmate

  2. one in official command especially of a military force or base

    "the captain of the largest army ever marshaled for battle in this country"

    similar: commandant, commander, commanding officer, commander in chief
    related: commissioned officer, field officer

  3. 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"

    similar: boss, boss man, chief, foreman, head, headman, helmsman, honcho, jefe, kingpin, leader, master, taskmaster
    related: directress, mistress, administrator, commander, director, executive, general, governor, hierarch, higher-up, leadman, manager, overseer, principal, skipper, standard-bearer, steward, straw boss, superintendent, superior, supervisor, dominator, lord, overlord, potentate, ruler, sovereign, figurehead, baron, czar, king, magnate, mogul, president, prince, big cheese, big gun, bigwig, top dog, top gun, cohead, coleader, employer, gaffer (British), ganger (British), micromanager, subchief, subdirector
    near: dependent, inferior, junior, secondary, subject, subordinate, underling

  4. a person of rank, power, or influence in a particular field

    "a fascinating magazine article profiling the captains of the American auto industry"

    similar: baron, czar, king, lion, lord, magnate, mogul, monarch, Napoleon, prince, tycoon
    related: big boy, big cheese, bigfoot, biggie, big gun, big shot, big wheel, bigwig, fat cat, figure, heavy, heavyweight, honcho, kahuna, main man, mover and shaker, nabob, nawab, notable, personage, pooh-bah, supremo (chiefly British), VIP, celebrity, personality, star, superstar, deity, demigod, god
    near: half-pint, lightweight, small-timer, inferior, subordinate, underling, nobody, nothing, zero

Captain (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to be in charge of

    "if you do well on this, you'll be asked to captain the next mission"

    similar: boss, handle, head, overlook, oversee, quarterback, superintend, supervise, call the shots (of), call the tune (for), ride herd on, watch over
    related: administer, command, control, direct, guide, manage, order, run, shepherd, show, steer, monitor, preside (over), govern, reign, rule

  2. to exercise authority or power over

    "captained the project for a few days while the boss was out of town"

    similar: boss, command, control, govern, preside (over), rule, sway (archaic)
    related: conduct, direct, head, lead, administer, manage, micromanage, oversee, regulate, superintend, supervise, dictate, dominate, domineer, lord (it over), master, oppress, reign (over), tyrannize, conquer, subdue, subjugate

  3. to serve as leader of

    "you did a good job of captaining the team"

    similar: boss, command, head, lead, spearhead
    related: control, dominate, direct, govern, handle, manage, oversee, regulate, run, superintend, supervise
    near: bow (to), comply (with), defer (to), follow, obey, serve, submit (to), yield (to)

Related Entry: Sea captain (noun)

Sea captain is a different word from Captain. The synonyms below are for sea captain, not for captain.

  1. as in officer, captain

    similar: captain, commander, skip, skipper, admiral, commodore, vice admiral, mate, officer, master, pilot, commanding officer
    opposite: crew, crewman, crewmate

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Captain

The most common words with a similar meaning to Captain:

Archaic: sway
commander, skip, skipper, commandant, commanding officer, boss, boss man, chief, foreman, head, headman, helmsman, honcho, jefe, kingpin, leader, master, taskmaster, baron, czar, king, lion, lord, magnate, mogul, monarch, Napoleon, prince, tycoon, commander in chief, handle, overlook, oversee, quarterback, superintend, supervise, command, control, govern, preside (over)

Related Words for Captain

sea captain, pilot, admiral, commodore, vice admiral, mate, officer, commissioned officer, field officer, directress, mistress, administrator, director, executive, general, governor, hierarch, higher-up, leadman, manager, overseer, principal, standard-bearer, steward, straw boss, superintendent, superior, supervisor, dominator, overlord

Near Antonyms of Captain

crew, crewman, crewmate, dependent, inferior, junior, secondary, subject, subordinate, underling, half-pint, lightweight, small-timer, nobody, nothing, zero, bow (to), comply (with), defer (to), follow, obey, serve, submit (to), yield (to)

Word Forms of Captain

Inflections: captained, captaining, captains

Derived words: captaincy (noun), captainship (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Captain

Middle English capitane, from Anglo-French capitain, from Late Latin capitaneus, adjective & noun, chief, from Latin capit-, caput head head

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Captain

Words & Phrases Containing Captain

captain's chair, captain's mast, captain of industry, bell captain, group captain, sea captain, cocaptain

Frequently Asked Questions about Captain

What does "Captain" mean?

"Captain" means a military leader, the commander of a unit or a body of troops. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a military leader, the commander of a unit or a body of troops. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Captain"?

Other words for "Captain" include commander, skip, skipper, commandant, commanding officer, boss, boss man and chief. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Captain" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Captain"?

There are 146 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Captain". Common alternatives include commander, skip, skipper, commandant, commanding officer, boss, boss man, chief, foreman and head.

How do you use "Captain" in a sentence?

Examples of "Captain" in a sentence: "the captain is responsible for everything that happens to his ship in the course of a voyage"; "the captain of the largest army ever marshaled for battle in this country"; "we only do what the captain tells us to, so it's not our fault when things don't work out".

Is "Captain" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Captain" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Captain" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Captain" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Captain"?

"Captain" is pronounced /ˈkap-tən/ and divided into syllables as cap·tain.

What is the origin of the word "Captain"?

"Captain" comes from Middle English capitane, from Anglo-French capitain, from Late Latin capitaneus, adjective & noun, chief, from Latin capit-, caput head head. First known use: 14th century.