Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
command
9 dictionary results for: command
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
com·mand       [kuh-mand, -mahnd] Pronunciation Key
–verb (used with object)
1.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.]

—Related forms
command·a·ble, adjective

—Synonyms 1. bid, demand, charge, instruct, enjoin. See direct. 3. govern, control, oversee, manage, lead. See rule. 4. exact, compel, require, claim, secure. 10. direction, bidding, injunction, charge, mandate, instruction. 13. ascendancy, sway, domination.
—Antonyms 1, 7. obey.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
com·mand       (kə-mānd')  Pronunciation Key 
v.   com·mand·ed, com·mand·ing, com·mands

v.   tr.
  1. To direct with authority; give orders to.
  2. To have control or authority over; rule: a general who commands an army.
  3. To have at one's disposal: a person who commands seven languages.
  4. To deserve and receive as due; exact: The troops' bravery commanded respect.
    1. To exercise dominating, authoritative influence over: "He commands any room he enters" (Stephen Schiff).
    2. To dominate by physical position; overlook: a mountain commanding the valley below.

v.   intr.
  1. To give orders.
  2. To exercise authority or control as or as if one is a commander.

n.  
  1. The act of commanding.
  2. An order given with authority.
  3. Computer Science A signal that initiates an operation defined by an instruction.
    1. The authority to command: an admiral in command.
    2. Possession and exercise of the authority to command: command of the seas.
    3. The jurisdiction of a commander.
    4. A military unit, post, district, or region under the control of one officer.
    5. A unit of the U.S. Air Force that is larger than an air force.
  5. Ability to control or use; mastery: command of four languages.
  6. Dominance by location; extent of view.
    1. The jurisdiction of a commander.
    2. A military unit, post, district, or region under the control of one officer.
    3. A unit of the U.S. Air Force that is larger than an air force.

adj.  
  1. Of, relating to, or constituting a command: command headquarters; a command decision.
  2. 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.]

com·mand'a·ble adj.
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
command 
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).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
command

noun
1. an authoritative direction or instruction to do something 
2. a military unit or region under the control of a single officer 
3. the power or authority to command; "an admiral in command" 
4. availability for use; "the materials at the command of the potters grew" 
5. a position of highest authority; "the corporation has just undergone a change in command" 
6. great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity; "a good command of French" 
7. (computer science) a line of code written as part of a computer program [syn: instruction] 

verb
1. be in command of; "The general commanded a huge army" 
2. make someone do something 
3. demand as one's due; "This speaker commands a high fee"; "The author commands a fair hearing from his readers" 
4. look down on; "The villa dominates the town" [syn: dominate] 
5. exercise authoritative control or power over; "control the budget"; "Command the military forces" [syn: control] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

command

In addition to the idiom beginning with command, also see have a good command.


The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

command operating 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)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Command

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.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Command

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.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Command

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.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Share This:Share This: digg.comShare This: ma.gnolia.comShare This: www.stumbleupon.comShare This: del.icio.usShare This: FacebookShare This: favorites.live.comShare This: www.technorati.comShare This: furl.netShare This: myweb2.search.yahoo.comShare This: www.google.com