to direct with specific authority or prerogative; order: The captain commanded his men to attack.
2.
to require authoritatively; demand: She commanded silence.
3.
to have or exercise authority or control over; be master of; have at one's bidding or disposal: The Pharaoh commanded 10,000 slaves.
4.
to deserve and receive (respect, sympathy, attention, etc.): He commands much respect for his attitude.
5.
to dominate by reason of location; overlook: The hill commands the sea.
6.
to have authority over and responsibility for (a military or naval unit or installation); be in charge of.
–verb (used without object)
7.
to issue an order or orders.
8.
to be in charge; have authority.
9.
to occupy a dominating position; look down upon or over a body of water, region, etc.
–noun
10.
the act of commanding or ordering.
11.
an order given by one in authority: The colonel gave the command to attack.
12.
Military.
a.
an order in prescribed words, usually given in a loud voice to troops at close-order drill: The command was “Right shoulder arms!”
b.
the order of execution or the second part of any two-part close-order drill command, as face in Right face!
c.
(initial capital letter) a principal component of the U.S. Air Force: Strategic Air Command.
d.
a body of troops or a station, ship, etc., under a commander.
13.
the possession or exercise of controlling authority: a lieutenant in command of a platoon.
14.
expertise; mastery: He has a command of French, Russian, and German.
15.
British. a royal order.
16.
power of dominating a region by reason of location; extent of view or outlook: the command of the valley from the hill.
17.
Computers.
a.
an electric impulse, signal, or set of signals for initiating an operation in a computer.
b.
a character, symbol, or item of information for instructing a computer to perform a specific task.
c.
a single instruction.
–adjective
18.
of, pertaining to, or for use in the exercise of command: a command car; command post.
19.
of or pertaining to a commander: a command decision.
20.
ordered by a sovereign, as if by a sovereign, or by the exigencies of a situation: a command performance.
[Origin: 1250–1300; (v.) ME coma(u)nden < AF com(m)a(u)nder, OF comander < ML commandāre, equiv. to L com-com-+ mandāre to entrust, order (cf. commend); (n.) late ME comma(u)nde < AF, OF, n. deriv. of the v.]
To have control or authority over; rule: a general who commands an army.
To have at one's disposal: a person who commands seven languages.
To deserve and receive as due; exact: The troops' bravery commanded respect.
To exercise dominating, authoritative influence over: "He commands any room he enters"(Stephen Schiff).
To dominate by physical position; overlook: a mountain commanding the valley below.
v.
intr.
To give orders.
To exercise authority or control as or as if one is a commander.
n.
The act of commanding.
An order given with authority.
Computer Science A signal that initiates an operation defined by an instruction.
The authority to command: an admiral in command.
Possession and exercise of the authority to command: command of the seas.
The jurisdiction of a commander.
A military unit, post, district, or region under the control of one officer.
A unit of the U.S. Air Force that is larger than an air force.
Ability to control or use; mastery: command of four languages.
Dominance by location; extent of view.
The jurisdiction of a commander.
A military unit, post, district, or region under the control of one officer.
A unit of the U.S. Air Force that is larger than an air force.
adj.
Of, relating to, or constituting a command: command headquarters; a command decision.
Done or performed in response to a command: a command performance.
[Middle English commaunden, from Old French comander, from Late Latin commandāre : Latin com-, intensive pref.; see com- + Latin mandāre, to entrust; see man-2 in Indo-European roots.]
c.1300, from O.Fr. comander "to order, enjoin," from V.L. *commandare, from L. commendare "to recommend" (see commend), alt. by influence of L. mandare "to commit, entrust" (see mandate). Replaced O.E. bebeodan. The noun is attested from 1552. Commandant is 1687, from Fr. Commandment is c.1280; pronounced as four syllables until 17c. "Of þe x commandements ... þe first comondement is þis, O God we ssul honuri" (c.1280).
commandoperating system A character string which tells a program to perform a specific action. Most commands take arguments which either modify the action performed or supply it with input. Commands may be typed by the user or read from a file by a command interpreter. It is also common to refer to menu items as commands. (1997-06-21)
Com*mand"\ (?; 61), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Commanded; p. pr. & vb. n. Commanding.] [OE. comaunden, commanden, OF. comander, F. commander, fr. L. com- + mandare to commit to, to command. Cf. Commend, Mandate.]1. To order with authority; to lay injunction upon; to direct; to bid; to charge. We are commanded to forgive our enemies, but you never read that we are commanded to forgive our friends. --Bacon. Go to your mistress: Say, I command her come to me. --Shak. 2. To exercise direct authority over; to have control of; to have at one's disposal; to lead. Monmouth commanded the English auxiliaries. --Macaulay. Such aid as I can spare you shall command. --Shak. 3. To have within a sphere of control, influence, access, or vision; to dominate by position; to guard; to overlook. Bridges commanded by a fortified house. --Motley. Up to the eastern tower, Whose height commands as subject all the vale. --Shak. One side commands a view of the finest garden. --Addison. 4. To have power or influence of the nature of authority over; to obtain as if by ordering; to receive as a due; to challenge; to claim; as, justice commands the respect and affections of the people; the best goods command the best price. 'Tis not in mortals to command success. --Addison. 5. To direct to come; to bestow. [Obs.] I will command my blessing upon you. --Lev. xxv. 21. Syn: To bid; order; direct; dictate; charge; govern; rule; overlook.
Com*mand"\, v. i. 1. To have or to exercise direct authority; to govern; to sway; to influence; to give an order or orders. And reigned, commanding in his monarchy. --Shak. For the king had so commanded concerning [Haman]. --Esth. iii. 2. 2. To have a view, as from a superior position. Far and wide his eye commands. --Milton.
Com*mand"\, n. 1. An authoritative order requiring obedience; a mandate; an injunction. Awaiting what command their mighty chief Had to impose. --Milton. 2. The possession or exercise of authority. Command and force may often create, but can never cure, an aversion. --Locke. 3. Authority; power or right of control; leadership; as, the forces under his command. 4. Power to dominate, command, or overlook by means of position; scope of vision; survey. The steepy stand Which overlooks the vale with wide command. --Dryden. 5. Control; power over something; sway; influence; as, to have command over one's temper or voice; the fort has command of the bridge. He assumed an absolute command over his readers. --Dryden. 6. A body of troops, or any naval or military force or post, or the whole territory under the authority or control of a particular officer. Word of command (Mil.), a word or phrase of definite and established meaning, used in directing the movements of soldiers; as, aim; fire; shoulder arms, etc. Syn: Control; sway; power; authority; rule; dominion; sovereignty; mandate; order; injunction; charge; behest. See Direction.
![[P]](http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/premium_mh.gif){kind=small}
Audio Help [kuh-mand, -mahnd] Pronunciation Key 
