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
But for a commanding officer to encourage any two members of his command to hook up — never mind that SFC Kohl outranks Private Frasconi by several grades — seems wrong, right?
—
Chris Klimek, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
And the Associated Press published a news story showing that Hegseth’s history of marital infidelity and insubordination toward a commanding officer violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which, as Defense Secretary, he would be called on to enforce.
—Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2025
What Trump is suggesting is similar to the U.K.'s letters of last resort—secret instructions written by the prime minister to the commanding officers of the Royal Navy's Vanguard-class submarines, which carry the country's Trident nuclear weapons.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
The commanding officer of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman was relieved of his command on Thursday, more than a week after the ship collided with a merchant vessel where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Suez Canal.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commanding officer
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Chris Klimek, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2025
And the Associated Press published a news story showing that Hegseth’s history of marital infidelity and insubordination toward a commanding officer violated the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which, as Defense Secretary, he would be called on to enforce.
—Jane Mayer, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2025
What Trump is suggesting is similar to the U.K.'s letters of last resort—secret instructions written by the prime minister to the commanding officers of the Royal Navy's Vanguard-class submarines, which carry the country's Trident nuclear weapons.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025
The commanding officer of the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman was relieved of his command on Thursday, more than a week after the ship collided with a merchant vessel where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Suez Canal.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for commanding officer
Cite this Entry
“Commanding officer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/commanding%20officer. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share