captain

plural captains

1. A chief or leader.

   For out of the shal come a captaine, whych shall govern my people israhel.

   1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew ij

   1 more example

   Stand up-stand up, Northumberland! / I bid you answer true, / If England's King has under his hand / A Captain as good as you?

   1929, Rudyard Kipling, The English Way

2. The person lawfully in command of a ship or other vessel.

   The captain is the last man to leave a sinking ship.

   1 more example

   Merchants, common sailors, captains of vessels, skippers, […] naval officers of all countries, and the Governments of several states on the two continents, were deeply interested in the matter.

   1873, Jules Verne, chapter I, in [anonymous], transl., Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas; […], James R. Osgood edition, Boston, Mass.: Geo[rge] M[urray] Smith & Co., →OCLC, part I, page 3

3. An army officer with a rank between the most senior grade of lieutenant and major.

   "A fine man, that Dunwody, yonder," commented the young captain, as they parted, and as he turned to his prisoner. "We'll see him on in Washington some day. He is strengthening his forces now against Mr. Benton out there.[…]."

   1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

4. A naval officer with a rank between commander and commodore.
5. 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 a United States Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force colonel.

   Synonyms: skipper, master, CAPT, Capt., Capt, CPT

6. aeronauticsA rank qualifying an airline pilot to act as pilot in command of a two-pilot flight crew.

   Synonyms: pilot, pilot in command

7. One of the athletes on a sports team who is designated to make decisions, and is allowed to speak for his team with a referee or official.

   Captain's supposed to be the leader, right?

   2000, Gregory Allen Howard, Remember the Titans

   1 more example

   As Di Matteo celebrated and captain John Terry raised the trophy for the fourth time, the Italian increased his claims to become the permanent successor to Andre Villas-Boas by landing a trophy.

   2012 May 5, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport

8. The leader of a group of workers.

   John Henry said to the captain, "A man ain't nothing but a man."

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   The assistant mine captains then reported to the mine captain in charge of all underground operations and subordinate only to the superintendent himself.

   1990, Marshall C. Eakin, A British Enterprise in Brazil

   Synonyms: supervisor, straw boss, foreman

9. The head boy of a school.
10. A maître d', a headwaiter.

    1977, Don Felder, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey, lyricists, "Hotel California", So I called up the Captain, "Please bring me my wine." / He said: "We haven't had that spirit here since 1969."

11. Southern USAn honorific title given to a prominent person. See colonel.

present singular third person captains · participle present captaining · participle past captained · past captained

1. intransitiveTo act as captain
2. transitiveTo exercise command of a ship, aircraft or sports team.

   The Olympic carried 1,313 passengers on its first trip across the Atlantic. It was captained by Edward Smith — the same captain who went down with the Titanic less than a year later.

   2026 September 8, William DeLong, Cara Johnson, “How The RMS Olympic Narrowly Averted The Tragic Fate Of The Titanic”, in All That's Interesting, archived from the original on 08 Sep 2026

plural Captains · alternative contraction Cap'n

1. The honorific of a captain, especially a ship's captain or a person with the military rank of captain.

   These islands were discovered by Captain Cook.

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   […] the governor, convinced of the need of a thorough exploration of the south coast, now ordered Grant to return and carefully survey the bay between Cape Otway and Cape Schank, besides the land which had been seen by Captains Black and Buyers, then to sail to King George’s Sound and, in returning, to explore the whole south coast to Wilson’s Promontory, going to the head of every bay or inlet as far as possible.

   1906, Ida Lee, The Coming of the British to Australia, 1788 to 1829, Longmans, Green, and Co., page 100

2. Forms a title for a superhero seen as embodying or possessing in high degree the qualities associated with the ensuing phrase

   Captain America; Captain Marvel; Captain Hindsight

   Synonyms: -man, -woman

3. broadlyhumorousironicForms a title or nickname for a person; typically a nonce coinage

   Dean asks, 'How'm I s'posed to empty my bloody pockets with my hands tied, Captain Genius?'

   2020 July 14, David Mitchell, Utopia Avenue, Hachette UK, →ISBN

   2 more examples

   Abbott has this alter ego, Captain Creepy. I mean, if he's not chatting away to the nation about his daughters' virginity, he's using anti-rape slogans to belittle the female Prime Minister.

   2010 November 8, Paul Howes, Confessions Of A Faceless Man: Inside Campaign 2010, Melbourne University Press, →ISBN, page 120

   “Count me in,” he said to Brooks as Logan headed out. “And let's just hope Logan doesn't turn into another Captain Boring like Vince,” he added.

   2022, Elizabeth Davis, The Player Next Door, Hachette UK, →ISBN

   Synonyms: Mister, Mc-