captain
a person who is at the head of or in authority over others; chief; leader.
an officer ranking in most armies above a first lieutenant and below a major.
an officer in the U.S. Navy ranking above a commander and below a rear admiral or a commodore.
a military leader.
an officer in the police department, ranking above a lieutenant and usually below an inspector.
an officer of the fire department, usually in command of a company, ranking above a lieutenant and below a chief or assistant chief.
the commander of a merchant vessel.: Compare staff captain.
the pilot of an airplane.
a local official in a political party responsible for organizing votes on a ward or precinct level.
Sports. the field leader of a team: The captain of the home team elected to receive on the kickoff.
a person of great power and influence, especially based on economic wealth.
South Midland and Southern U.S. an unofficial title of respect for a man (sometimes used humorously or ironically).
to lead or command as a captain.
Origin of captain
1Other words from captain
- sub·cap·tain, noun
- un·cap·tained, adjective
- un·der·cap·tain, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for captain
/ (ˈkæptɪn) /
the person in charge of and responsible for a vessel
an officer of the navy who holds a rank junior to a rear admiral but senior to a commander
an officer of the army, certain air forces, and the marine corps who holds a rank junior to a major but senior to a lieutenant
the officer in command of a civil aircraft, usually the senior pilot
the leader of a team in games
a person in command over a group, organization, etc; leader: a captain of industry
US a police officer in charge of a precinct
US and Canadian (formerly) a head waiter
Also called: bell captain US and Canadian a supervisor of bellboys in a hotel
Australian informal a person who is buying drinks for people in a bar
(tr) to be captain of
Origin of captain
1Derived forms of captain
- captaincy or captainship, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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