commanding officer

noun

: an officer in command
especially : an officer in the armed forces in command of an organization or installation

Examples of commanding officer in a Sentence

He reported the incident to his commanding officer. reported directly to the fort's commanding officer
Recent Examples on the Web Montgomery Clift plays a principled bugler who suffers abuse for his unwillingness to join the camp’s boxing team, starring opposite Burt Lancaster as a world-weary desk sergeant whose affair with his commanding officer’s wife (Deborah Kerr) threatens to undo his career. Keith Phipps, Vulture, 26 May 2024 Loughman, who has been serving as interim colonel since November, 2023, has been a state police trooper for 18 years and served as the commanding officer of the Office for Professional Standards and Training. Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant, 15 Apr. 2024 Marshall had hoped to command troops in battle, but his organizational skills, focus, and discipline meant that his commanding officers preferred to have him on their staffs. Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 June 2024 The shooting erupted around 9:05 p.m. as the girls were playing, Assistant Chief Scott Henderson, commanding officer of the Brooklyn North patrol division, said at a news conference at the playground where the girls were shot. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 4 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for commanding officer 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'commanding officer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1720, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of commanding officer was in 1720

Dictionary Entries Near commanding officer

Cite this Entry

“Commanding officer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commanding%20officer. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.

Kids Definition

commanding officer

noun
: an officer having charge of a military or naval unit, organization, or base
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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