captainnoun
uk/ˈkæp.tɪn/us/ˈkæp.tən/B1 [ C ] the leader of a sports team:
It's unusual to have a goalkeeper as (the) captain of a football team.
B2 [ C ] the person in charge of a ship or an aircraft:
This is your captain speaking. We expect to be landing at Osaka Kansai airport in an hour's time.
[ C ] also Captain an officer's rank in the British army or navy, or in the US air force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or the US police and fire departments:
The captain gave him his orders.
Captain Lane/Alex Lane
[ as form of address ] Yes, Captain.
More examples
- We were sinking fast, and the captain gave the order to abandon ship.
- The team captain was forced to withdraw from the match due to injury.
- He is now the vice captain of the team.
- This was his last match as the team's captain.
- He is undoubtedly England's best captain of recent years.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
General ranks in the armed forces
- ADC
- adjutant
- aide-de-camp
- artificer
- C-in-C
- co-
- commandant
- commander-in-chief
- commissioned officer
- five-star
- flash
- four-star
- Lt
- marshal
- NCO
- non-commissioned officer
- officer
- ranking
- top brass
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captainverb [ T ]
uk/ˈkæp.tɪn/us/ˈkæp.tən/to lead and be the captain of a team, military group, ship, or aircraft:
She captained the Canadian ice hockey team for three years.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Controlling and being in charge
- aggrandize
- assume
- assumption
- authoritative
- balance of power
- divide
- dominant
- have sb by the balls idiom
- have sb eating out of your hand idiom
- have sb in the palm of your hand idiom
- have sth in hand idiom
- have/hold the whip hand idiom
- hook
- preside over sth
- pull
- pull rank idiom
- pull the strings idiom
- putty
- rein
- whip
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captaincy
noun [ C or U ] uk/ˈkæp.tɪn.si/us/ˈkæp.tən.si/