Captain Meaning, Definition, and Synonyms

Captain is a word for a person in charge of a group, team, ship, or similar role, but it also has several more specific meanings in the military, police, transport, and hospitality fields.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-29. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Pronunciation

AI-generated pronunciation audio (OpenAI).

Accent: General American English

IPA: /ˈkæptən/

Easy pronunciation: KAP-tən (approximate spelling).

Stress: Stress the first syllable.

Use this pronunciation for the noun meaning a leader of a group or organization.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-29. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Captain Meaning

a person who leads a group or organization

Part of speech: noun

Definition: the leader of a group of people

Example: She was named captain of the debate team.

Synonyms for this meaning:

chieftain — Works in some formal or historical contexts for a leader, but it is not a common everyday substitute for captain.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-29. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Other Meanings of Captain

Meaning 2

the person in command of an airship

Part of speech: noun

Definition: the pilot in charge of an airship

Example: The captain guided the airship through the clouds.

Synonyms for this meaning:

senior pilot — Related to this sense, though it is more descriptive than a direct everyday synonym.

Meaning 3

a police officer who commands a precinct

Part of speech: noun

Definition: a policeman in charge of a precinct

Example: The captain reviewed the report from the precinct.

Synonyms for this meaning:

police captain — A direct title for this role.
police chief — Close in meaning, but usually refers to the top police officer, not always a precinct captain.

Meaning 4

the officer in charge of a merchant ship

Part of speech: noun

Definition: an officer who is licensed to command a merchant ship

Example: The ship's captain checked the cargo list before departure.

Synonyms for this meaning:

master — An older or formal term for the officer in command of a merchant ship.
sea captain — A direct and natural synonym in this sense.
skipper — Common informal synonym for the person in charge of a ship.

Meaning 5

the person who manages the dining room staff and seating

Part of speech: noun

Definition: a dining-room attendant who is in charge of the waiters and the seating of customers

Example: Ask the captain if there is a table near the window.

Synonyms for this meaning:

headwaiter — A direct synonym for this restaurant role.
maitre d' — Common term for the person who greets guests and manages seating.
maitre d'hotel — A fuller, more formal version of maitre d'.

Meaning 6

the navy officer who commands a ship

Part of speech: noun

Definition: the naval officer in command of a military ship

Example: The captain ordered the crew to stand by.

Synonyms for this meaning:

skipper — Can be used for a ship commander, but it is more informal and less specifically naval.

Meaning 7

a military rank between lieutenant and major

Part of speech: noun

Definition: an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

Example: He was promoted to captain after five years in service.

Meaning 8

to lead a sports team

Part of speech: verb

Definition: be the captain of a sports team

Example: She captained the school soccer team for two years.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-29. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Captain Synonyms

Similar Meaning

chieftain

a pilot in charge of an airship

senior pilot

a policeman in charge of a precinct

police captain
police chief

an officer who is licensed to command a merchant ship

master
sea captain
skipper

a dining-room attendant who is in charge of the waiters and the seating of customers

headwaiter
maitre d'
maitre d'hotel

the naval officer in command of a military ship

skipper

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: uncertain — manual review needed. Checked: 2026-10-29. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Common Mistakes

Don't mix up the ship captain sense with the military rank of captain.
Don't use skipper for every sense of captain; it mainly fits ships and is informal.
Don't assume police captain and police chief are always exact matches; chief can mean a higher office.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-29. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does captain mean in everyday English?

In everyday English, captain usually means the leader of a team or group, or the person in charge of a ship.

Is captain only a noun?

No. Captain is also a verb, meaning to lead or serve as captain of a team.

What is a common synonym for captain?

The best synonym depends on the sense. For a ship, skipper is common; for a restaurant role, maitre d' is common; for a team leader, there is no single perfect everyday synonym.

What is the rank of a captain?

In the military, captain is a rank below major and above lieutenant.

Reviewed with OpenAI Decisions. Assessment: accurate. Checked: 2026-10-29. AI assessment; not a guarantee of accuracy.