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captain definition

cap·tain (kap′tən)

noun

    1. a chief or leader captains of industry
    2. an important military leader
  2. the head of a group or division; specif.,
    1. U.S. Mil. an officer ranking above a first lieutenant and below a major
    2. U.S. Navy an officer ranking above a commander and below a commodore
    3. the person in command of a ship
    4. the pilot of an airplane
    5. the spokesman for a team in certain sports
    6. ☆ a precinct commander in a police or fire department
    7. ☆ a district leader of a political party
    8. ☆ headwaiter
    9. ☆ bell captain

Etymology: ME capitain < OFr capitaine < LL capitaneus, chief < L caput, head

transitive verb

to be captain of; lead

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

captain Synonyms

captain

n.

  1. A leader

    director, commander, authority, chief; see administrator, guide 1, leader 2.

  2. The officer in charge of a company

    company commander, commanding officer, junior officer, staff officer, commander, CO, skipper*; see also officer 3.

  3. One in command of a ship

    skipper, commander, operator, master, shipmaster, cap*, Old Man*; see also officer 3, pilot 2.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

captain Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • appoint: Each team of 5 players will appoint a team captain.

Adjective modifier

  • inspirational: The match, organized by Palace's inspirational former captain Geoff Thomas, is set for next Thursday 6th April with a 7.45pm kick-off.

Modifies a noun

  • casey: Activities and snorkeling briefing captain casey conservative rep aboard holland america.

Noun used with modifier

  • vise: Mr W. Pretty was elected captain, Mr. H. Hill vise captain.

Possessives

  • armband: He had been handed the captain's armband, but was frustrated with Fourth Division football and submitted a transfer request.

Preposition: of

  • guard: Potiphar was his name, the captain of the guard, probably meaning the head chief bodyguard in the royal palace.
captain usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

captain quotes

But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the L hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the L hath commanded him to be captain over his people.

-Bible (Old Testament)

   Like being the captain of a mine-sweeper, if you do your job well, nobody notices.If you don't, there's a hell of an explosion.

-Catto, Henry E(dward)

I had rather have a plain, russet-coated Captain, that knows what he fights for, and loves what he knows, than that which you call a Gentle-man and is nothing else.

-Cromwell, Oliver

captain quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"captain." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/captain>

APA Style

captain. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/captain

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