captain

AUSKAP-tuhn/ˈkæp.tən/UKKAP-tin/ˈkæp.tɪn/

Pluralcaptains

Verbcaptains, captaining, captained

11 meanings of captain

Practice

1
ship's masternouncountable
The person who is in charge of a ship and its crew.
Like the boss who is in charge of everyone working on a ship.
The captain ordered everyone to put on life jackets.
Our captain steered the ferry safely into the harbor.
UsageSay the captain of a ship, or Captain before a name.
Similarskipper, master, commander
2
sports teamnouncountable
A player chosen to lead a sports team and speak for it to the referee.
Like the leader of a group project who speaks for everyone.
The team captain shook hands with the referee before the match.
As captain, she decided which players would take the penalty kicks.
UsageSay captain of the team, or captain before a name.
Similarskipper, leader
3
army ranknouncountable
An army officer ranked above a lieutenant and below a major.
Like the boss of one team who still answers to bigger bosses.
The captain led his company into the training exercise.
My uncle was an army captain in charge of about a hundred soldiers.
4
nouncountable
A person who leads a group of people or directs their work.
Like the person everyone follows when a group has to decide what to do.
He became the captain of the rebel fighters.
The captain of the work crew told everyone where to start digging.
UsageA captain of industry is a powerful business leader.
Similarleader, head, chief, commander
Note
5
verbtransitive
To be the leader of a team, or the person in charge of a ship or plane.
Like being the one who steers and gives the orders on a boat.
She will captain the ferry on its first voyage.
He captained the team to victory last season.
Similarcommand, lead, skipper
6
nouncountable
An officer in the navy who is above a commander and usually commands a large ship.
Like a senior boss in the navy, above many officers but not at the very top.
Her grandfather left the Royal Navy as a captain after thirty years.
He rose to the rank of captain in the navy.
Note
7
nouncountable
The pilot who is in charge of a plane, especially a big passenger plane.
The captain told everyone to keep their seat belts on until the plane stopped.
Our flight left late because the captain was still on another plane.
Similarpilot
8
nouncountable
A police or fire officer, mainly in the US and Canada, who usually ranks above a lieutenant and often runs a station.
The fire captain told everyone to stay back from the burning house.
Officer Diaz passed the exam and became a police captain last spring.
Note

Less common meanings

9
head studentnouncountable
The top student leader at a school.
Like the student everyone looks to when the whole school needs a spokesperson.
As school captain, she welcomed parents at the start of every assembly.
She was chosen as captain of the whole school.
10
head waiternouncountable
The head waiter in charge of part of a restaurant.
Like the main waiter who is in charge of looking after the guests.
The captain showed us to our table by the window.
She asked the captain to recommend a wine.
Similarheadwaiter
Note
11
noundialectalSouthern US
A title of respect given to an important or well-known person.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of captain apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from Latin caput, meaning "head." It reached English through Old French capitaine.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

Captain ultimately derives from Latin caput. en.wiktionary.org
Latin caput means "head." en.wiktionary.org
Captain reached English through Old French capitaine. en.wiktionary.org