captain

[ kap-tuhn, -tin ]
See synonyms for captain on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who is at the head of or in authority over others; chief; leader.

  2. an officer ranking in most armies above a first lieutenant and below a major.

  1. an officer in the U.S. Navy ranking above a commander and below a rear admiral or a commodore.

  2. a military leader.

  3. an officer in the police department, ranking above a lieutenant and usually below an inspector.

  4. an officer of the fire department, usually in command of a company, ranking above a lieutenant and below a chief or assistant chief.

  5. the commander of a merchant vessel.: Compare staff captain.

  6. the pilot of an airplane.

  7. a local official in a political party responsible for organizing votes on a ward or precinct level.

  8. Sports. the field leader of a team: The captain of the home team elected to receive on the kickoff.

  9. a person of great power and influence, especially based on economic wealth.

  10. South Midland and Southern U.S. an unofficial title of respect for a man (sometimes used humorously or ironically).

verb (used with object)
  1. to lead or command as a captain.

Origin of captain

1
1325–75; Middle English capitain<Anglo-French capitain, captayn<Late Latin capitāneus chief, equivalent to capit- (stem of caput) head + -ān(us) -an + -eus-eous

Other 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

captain

/ (ˈkæptɪn) /


noun
  1. the person in charge of and responsible for a vessel

  2. an officer of the navy who holds a rank junior to a rear admiral but senior to a commander

  1. 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

  2. the officer in command of a civil aircraft, usually the senior pilot

  3. the leader of a team in games

  4. a person in command over a group, organization, etc; leader: a captain of industry

  5. US a police officer in charge of a precinct

  6. US and Canadian (formerly) a head waiter

  7. Also called: bell captain US and Canadian a supervisor of bellboys in a hotel

  8. Australian informal a person who is buying drinks for people in a bar

verb
  1. (tr) to be captain of

Origin of captain

1
C14: from Old French capitaine, from Late Latin capitāneus chief, from Latin caput head

Derived 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