Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense captains, present participle captaining, past tense, past participle captained
1. title noun & countable noun
In the army, navy, and some other armed forces, a captain is an officer of middle rank.
...Captain Mark Phillips.
...a captain in the British army.
Are all your weapons in place, Captain?
2. countable noun [noun NOUN]
The captainof a sports team is the player in charge of it.
...Mickey Thomas, the captain of Wrexham football club.
The former Australia cricket captain offers a unique insight into his nation's sportingpsyche.
3. countable noun
The captain of a ship is the sailor in charge of it.
...the captain of the aircraft carrier Saratoga. [+ of]
Synonyms: commander, officer, skipper, (senior) pilot More Synonyms of captain
4. countable noun & title noun
The captain of an aeroplane is the pilot in charge of it.
5. countable noun & title noun
In the United States and some other countries, a captain is a police officer or firefighter of fairly senior rank.
6. verb
If you captain a team or a ship, you are the captain of it.
Two months later, he captained Pakistan to victory in the World Cup. [VERB noun]
I did once dream of becoming the first woman to captain an ocean liner. [VERB noun]
More Synonyms of captain
captain in British English
(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
3.
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
4.
the officer in command of a civil aircraft, usually the senior pilot
5.
the leader of a team in games
6.
a person in command over a group, organization, etc; leader
a captain of industry
7. US
a police officer in charge of a precinct
8. US and Canadian
(formerly) a head waiter
9. Also called: bell captain US and Canadian
a supervisor of bellboys in a hotel
10. Australian informal
a person who is buying drinks for people in a bar
verb
11. (transitive)
to be captain of
Derived forms
captaincy (ˈcaptaincy) or captainship (ˈcaptainˌship)
noun
Word origin
C14: from Old French capitaine, from Late Latin capitāneus chief, from Latin caput head
captain in American English
(ˈkæptən)
noun
1.
a.
a chief or leader
captains of industry
b.
an important military leader
2.
the head of a group or division
; specif.,
a. US Military
an officer ranking above a first lieutenant and below a major
b. US Navy
an officer ranking above a commander and below a commodore
c.
the person in command of a ship
d.
the pilot of an airplane
e.
the spokesman for a team in certain sports
f. US
a precinct commander in a police or fire department
g. US
a district leader of a political party
h. US
headwaiter
i. US
bell captain
verb transitive
3.
to be captain of; lead
Derived forms
captaincy (ˈcaptaincy) (ˈkæptənsi)
nounWord forms: pluralˈcaptaincies
captainship (ˈcaptainˌship)
noun
Word origin
ME capitain < OFr capitaine < LL capitaneus, chief < L caput, head
Examples of 'captain' in a sentence
captain
It would be like sailing the ship without the captain.
The Sun (2016)
She had been doing it since her days as England cricket captain.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Just imagine an England captain saying that a year ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
As club captain, it is tough to say goodbye to a place where you have enjoyed so much success.
The Sun (2016)
Captain, leader, legend at his local team.
The Sun (2016)
But out at sea, Italian navy captains continue to pick up migrants without question.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The captain's armband must have special powers because he's been brilliant.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
An army captain and a female lawyer were also seized.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
He was always popular as the club captain because he was such a good leader.
The Sun (2014)
The captain of a liner which had just traversed it blanched.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Then we can go to the finals and keep the captain in place.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
What happened that night between her officers and her captain?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Now we are left unsure as to who will be captaining the ship.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
You could make him captain for the first quarter of an hour before substituting him.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The job of cricket captain gives a player more responsibility than any player shoulders in any other team sport.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Or the captain of a football team may try to excuse the defeat of his team by complaining that the referee was biased.
Siann, Gerda & Ugwuegbu, Denis C. E. Educational Psychology in a Changing World (1988)
How should a lieutenant colonel in the Marines address a captain in the navy?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
When a captain becomes the story, something has to give.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The former Villa captain challenged his players to keep competing for a place just beneath the elite.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
More than half a dozen England cricket captains were there.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
He might expect to take the test for promotion to captain in overall charge of a helicopter after about 18 months.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
He's our captain and leader.
The Sun (2011)
Successful teams have great captains.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Missed last time in 2006 but is looking full of confidence now wearing that captain's armband.
The Sun (2012)
Then we had the 55-year-old woman who captained her local golf team while claiming her back was so painful she needed help getting out of the bath.
The Sun (2011)
The captain would say only that the governing body needed'to get the right man whether that takes weeks or months '.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
In other languages
captain
British English: captain /ˈkæptɪn/ NOUN
In the army, navy, and some other armed forces, a captain is an officer of middle rank.
...a captain in the army.
American English: captain
Arabic: نَقِيب
Brazilian Portuguese: capitão
Chinese: 机长或船长
Croatian: kapetan
Czech: kapitán
Danish: kaptajn
Dutch: kapitein
European Spanish: capitán
Finnish: kapteeni
French: capitaine
German: Kapitän
Greek: καπετάνιος
Italian: capitano
Japanese: 船長
Korean: 선장
Norwegian: kaptein
Polish: kapitan
European Portuguese: capitão
Romanian: căpitan
Russian: капитан
Latin American Spanish: capitán
Swedish: kapten
Thai: กัปตัน
Turkish: kaptan
Ukrainian: капітан
Vietnamese: đại úy
British English: captain VERB
If you captain a team or a ship, you are the captain of it.
He captained the winning team that year.
American English: captain
Brazilian Portuguese: capitanear
Chinese: 率队
European Spanish: capitanear
French: être le capitaine de
German: befehligen
Italian: capitanare
Japanese: キャプテンを務める
Korean: 주장이 되다
European Portuguese: capitanear
Latin American Spanish: capitanear
All related terms of 'captain'
co-captain
a joint captain
sea captain
A sea captain is a person in command of a ship, usually a ship that carries goods for trade .
bell captain
a person in charge of a group of bellhops
field captain
the senior official at an archery meeting , responsible for safety
flag captain
the captain of a flagship
group captain
an officer holding commissioned rank senior to a wing commander but junior to an air commodore in the RAF and certain other air forces
port captain
an official in charge of the harbor activities of a seaport
post captain
(formerly) a naval officer holding a commission as a captain , as distinct from an officer with the courtesy title of captain
team captain
the captain of a sporting team
vice-captain
a person who deputizes for a captain and serves in his or her place during his or her absence or indisposition
Captain Cooker
a wild pig
channel captain
the most powerful member, and often the one that decides specifications , in a channel for distributing goods (which usually consists of a manufacturer , wholesaler, and retailer). The channel captain is sometimes the manufacturer but in the case of a chain store it may be the retailer
captain's mast
a hearing conducted by the captain of a vessel into minor offences of the crew
captain's pick
the selection by a team's captain of a player for that team, often a player who has not met criteria for automatic selection
captain's walk
→ widow's walk
precinct captain
the captain of the police responsible for a district of a city
captain's biscuit
a type of hard fancy biscuit
captain's chair
a hardwood armchair having a low, curved back, formed of a single rail supported by spindles , and a saddle seat
captain of industry
You can refer to the owners or senior managers of industrial companies as captains of industry .
mast
The masts of a boat are the tall upright poles that support its sails.
capitayn
the person in charge of and responsible for a vessel
Chinese translation of 'captain'
captain
(ˈkæptɪn)
n(c)
[of ship]船长(長) (chuánzhǎng) (位, wèi)
[of plane]机(機)长(長) (jīzhǎng) (位, wèi)
[of team]队(隊)长(長) (duìzhǎng) (个(個), gè)
(in army) 上尉 (shàngwèi)
(in navy) 上校 (shàngxiào)
(US, Police) 副巡官 (fù xúnguān)
vt
[ship]当(當)船长(長) (dāng chuánzhǎng)
[team]当(當)队(隊)长(長) (dāng duìzhǎng)
1 (noun)
Definition
the leader of a team or group
He is a former English cricket captain.
Synonyms
leader
the leader of the Conservative Party
boss
He cannot stand his boss.
master
My master ordered me to deliver the message.
skipper
chieftain
head
heads of government from more than 100 countries
number one (informal)
chief
The new leader is the deputy chief of the territory's defence force.
2 (noun)
Definition
the person in charge of a ship, boat, or civil aircraft
a German sea captain
Synonyms
commander
The commander and some of his troops had been released.
officer
skipper
the skipper of a fishing boat
(senior) pilot
Additional synonyms
in the sense of boss
Definition
a person in charge of or employing others
He cannot stand his boss.
Synonyms
manager,
head,
leader,
director,
chief,
executive,
owner,
master,
governor (informal),
employer,
administrator,
supervisor,
superintendent,
gaffer (informal, British),
or woman or person">foreman or woman or person,
overseer,
kingpin,
big cheese (old-fashioned, slang),
numero uno (informal),
Mister Big (slang, US),
sherang (Australian, New Zealand)
in the sense of chief
Definition
most important
The new leader is the deputy chief of the territory's defence force.
Synonyms
head,
leader,
director,
manager,
lord,
boss (informal),
captain,
master,
governor,
commander,
principal,
superior,
ruler,
superintendent,
chieftain,
ringleader,
suzerain,
ariki (New Zealand),
sherang (Australian, New Zealand)
in the sense of head
Definition
the person commanding most authority within a group or an organization