captain

noun

• 1the person in command of a ship: he found a vessel whose captain was prepared to sign him on
• the pilot in command of a civil aircraft: aircraft captains are entitled to deny boarding to passengers under the influence of drugs
• a rank of naval officer above commander and below commodore.
• a rank of officer in the army and in the US and Canadian air forces, above lieutenant and below major.

• 2the leader of a team, especially in sports: the cup was presented to the winning team’s captain
• a powerful or influential person in a particular field:a captain of industry
• British a head boy or girl in a school: he did very well academically, becoming school captain
• North American a supervisor of waiters or bellboys.

• 3(in the US) a police officer in charge of a precinct, ranking below a chief.

verb

• be the captain of (a ship, aircraft, or sports team): all the boats are captained by professional sailors