as in commander
one in official command especially of a military force or base
reported directly to the fort's commanding officer
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Recent Examples of commanding officer
Fearful of being tracked by Soviet spy trawlers, the carrier’s commanding officer instructed all aircraft to turn off their radar altimeter, a device that gives a precise reading of altitude more accurately than the standard barometric altimeter.
—
Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 29 May 2025
Captain Chris Hill, commanding officer of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, was named as interim commander.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
Soldiers acted on commanding officers’ orders, according to the officer who spoke to the AP.
—Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2025
In a statement released on Sunday, the military said a commanding officer is to be reprimanded.
—James MacKenzie and Alexander Cornwell, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commanding officer
Stephen Rodrick, Rolling Stone, 29 May 2025
Captain Chris Hill, commanding officer of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, was named as interim commander.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 25 Feb. 2025
Soldiers acted on commanding officers’ orders, according to the officer who spoke to the AP.
—Sam Mednick, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2025
In a statement released on Sunday, the military said a commanding officer is to be reprimanded.
—James MacKenzie and Alexander Cornwell, USA Today, 20 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commanding officer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for commanding officer
Noun
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Retired Lieutenant General Yvan Blondin, commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force from 2012 until 2015, has advocated for a long, hard look at Canada's F-35 order.—
Ellie Cook,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 July 2025
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The need to shuffle the pair onto a Crew Dragon for the flight home meant the removal of the original commander of Crew-9 along with another NASA astronaut to leave room for the Starliner duo.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 July 2025
Noun
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Prior to her appointment to commandant, Fagan served in several other leadership roles, including as vice commandant and commander of the Coast Guard Pacific Area.—
Lisa Hagen,
Hartford Courant,
22 Jan. 2025
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Mahoney also performed the duties of acting commandant of the Marine Corps from November 2023 to March 2024 after Gen. Eric Smith suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized.—
Ellen Mitchell,
The Hill,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Commanding officer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/commanding%20officer. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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