captain

cap·tain

Use captain in a sentence

An airline pilot, or captain.

noun

The definition of a captain is a leader.
1. An example of a captain is the pilot on a airplane.
2. An example of a captain is the head person on a volleyball team.

verb

Captain means to lead.
An example of captain is to drive a ship through a storm.

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"captain." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 19 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/CAPTAIN>.

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captain. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/CAPTAIN

captain

1. a chief or leader: captains of industry
2. an important military leader
the head of a group or division; specif.,
1. U.S. Mil. an officer ranking above a first lieutenant and below a major
2. U.S. Navy an officer ranking above a commander and below a commodore
3. the person in command of a ship
4. the pilot of an airplane
5. the spokesman for a team in certain sports
6. a precinct commander in a police or fire department
7. a district leader of a political party
8. headwaiter
9. bell captain

Origin of captain

Middle English capitain from Old French capitaine from Late Latin capitaneus, chief from Classical Latin caput, head

to be captain of; lead

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MLA Style

"captain." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 19 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/CAPTAIN>.

APA Style

captain. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/CAPTAIN

captain

noun

One who commands, leads, or guides others, especially:
a. The officer in command of a ship, aircraft, or spacecraft.
b. A precinct commander in a police or fire department, usually ranking above a lieutenant and below a chief.
c. The designated leader of a team or crew in sports.
a. A commissioned rank in the US Army, Air Force, or Marine Corps that is above first lieutenant and below major.
b. A commissioned rank in the US Navy or Coast Guard that is above commander and below rear admiral.
c. One who holds the rank of captain.
A figure in the forefront; a leader: a captain of industry.
One who supervises or directs the work of others, especially:
a. A district official for a political party.
b. A restaurant employee who is in charge of the waiters and usually attends to table seating.
c. A bell captain.

transitive verb

cap·tained, cap·tain·ing, cap·tains

To act as captain of; command or direct: captained the football team.

Origin of captain

Middle English capitain from Old French from Late Latin capitāneus chief from Latin caput capit- head ; see kaput- in Indo-European roots.

Related Forms:

cap′tain·cy cap′tain·ship′
noun

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"captain." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 19 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/CAPTAIN>.

APA Style

captain. (n.d.). Retrieved January 19th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/CAPTAIN

Noun

(plural captains)

A chief or leader.
The person lawfully in command of a ship or other vessel.
The captain is the last man to leave a sinking ship.
An army officer with a rank between the most senior grade of lieutenant and major.
A naval officer with a rank between commander and commodore.
A commissioned officer in the United States Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, or PHS Corps of a grade superior to a commander and junior to a rear admiral (lower half). A captain is equal in grade or rank to an Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force colonel.
One of the athletes on a sports team who designated to make decisions, and is allowed to speak for his team with a referee or official.
The leader of a group of workers.
John Henry said to the captain, "A man ain't nothing but a man."
A maître d'.
(Southern US) An honorific title given to a prominent person. See colonel.