command
Syllables: com·mandUK/kəˈmɑːnd//kəˈmænd/
command noun: an order to do something.
Noun
command (countable and uncountable, plural commands)
- An order to do something.
- I was given a command to cease shooting.
- Synonyms:
- behest, injunction
- The right or authority to order, control or dispose of; the right to be obeyed or to compel obedience.
- to have command of an army
- GAGE, at that time, had command of troops near the lakes; and fearing an attack from the Indians, had called for some new recruits from Massachusetts; but the Assembly judged them not necessary.1822, Alden Bradford, History of Massachusetts ..., Richardson and Lord, page 41
- power of control, direction or disposal; mastery.
- he had command of the situation
- England has long held command of the sea
- A position of chief authority; a position involving the right or power to order or control.
- General Smith was placed in command.
- The act of commanding; exercise or authority of influence.
- Command cannot be otherwise than savage, for it implies an appeal to force, should force be needful.1851, Herbert Spencer, Social Statics, page 180
- A body or troops, or any naval or military force, under the control of a particular officer; by extension, any object or body in someone's charge.
- I asked myself what I was to do there, now my boat was lost. As a matter of fact, I had plenty to do in fishing my command out of the river.1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I
- Filing a complaint against a police officer in New Bedford without the benefit of witnesses is difficult, if not impossible. The police command, from sergeant to chief, is summarily defensive of the actions of police officers.1977 August 20, David Brill, “Civil Custody Law Harasses New Bedford Gays”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 7, page 3
- Dominating situation; range or control or oversight; extent of view or outlook.
- A directive to a computer program acting as an interpreter of some kind, in order to perform a specific task.
- The degree of control a pitcher has over his pitches.
- He's got good command tonight.
- A command performance.
- Atkinson […] had hinted to me that the Duke of Richmond was so delighted with my acting that he should not be surprised if there was a second command.1809, Dorothy Jordan, letter, cited in Claire Tomalin, Mrs Jordan's Profession, Penguin 2012, p. 220
Verb
command (third-person singular simple present commands, present participle commanding, simple past and past participle commanded)
- To order, give orders; to compel or direct with authority.
- The soldier was commanded to cease firing.
- The king commanded his servant to bring him dinner.
- To have or exercise supreme power, control or authority over, especially military; to have under direction or control.
- to command an army or a ship
- Monmouth commanded the English auxiliaries.1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter II, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and...
- To require with authority; to demand, order, enjoin.
- he commanded silence
- If thou be the son of God, command that these stones be made bread.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 4:3
- to dominate through ability, resources, position etc.; to overlook.
- Bridges commanded by a fortified house. (Motley.)
- This observation deck commands a breathtaking view of San Francisco Bay.
- To exact, compel or secure by influence; to deserve, claim.
- A good magistrate commands the respect and affections of the people.
- Justice commands the respect and affections of the people.
- To hold, to control the use of.
- The fort commanded the bay.
- Two wooden bridges led across the river; each was commanded by a fortified house1856, John Lothrop Motley, The Rise of the Dutch Republic. A History. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC
- To have a view (of), as from a superior position.
- Farr and wide his eye commands.1667, John Milton, “Book III”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished...
- I pulled in hand over hand on the cord, and when I judged myself near enough, rose at infinite risk to about half my height and thus commanded the roof and a slice of the interior of the cabin.1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC
- To direct to come; to bestow.
- I will command my blessing upon you.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Leviticus 25:21
command meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
command in Hindi
- order
- आदेश ādeś, आज्ञा ājñā, दस्तूर dastūr, फ़रमान farmān, अम्र amr, हुक्म hukma
- the right or authority to order, control or dispose of
- प्रभार prabhār
- computing: directive to a computer program
- समादेश samādeś
command in Tamil
- ஆணை, உத்தரவு, ஆணையிடு
command in Urdu
- order
- حُکْم hukm, فَرْمان farmān, اَمْر amr, دَسْتُور dastūr
command in Bengali
- order
- আদেশ adeś, আজ্ঞা ajna
More languagesFewer languages
- command in Telugu
- ఆజ్ఞ ājña, ఉత్తరువు uttaruvu, ఆనతి ānati, ఆజ్ఞాపించు ājñāpiñcu
- command in Malayalam
- നിയോഗം niyōgaṁ, അരുൾ aruḷ, ആജ്ഞ ājña
- command in Kannada
- ಕಟ್ಟಲೆ, ಆಜ್ಞೆ, ಅಪ್ಪಣೆ, ಆದೇಶ
- command in Punjabi
- ਅੱਗਾਯਾ aggāyā
- command in Gujarati
- દસ્તૂર dastūr
- command in Sanskrit
- आज्ञा ājñā
- command in Sinhala
- ආදෙස ādesa, ඇණය æṇaya, ආඥාව āgnāwa
- command in Pashto
- امر, حکم hokm
- command in Tagalog
- utos, kautusan
- command in Arabic
- أَمْر ʔamr, حُكْم ḥukm, أَمَرَ ʔamara
- command in Malay
- komander, perintah
- command in Indonesian
- aba-aba
- command in Persian
- تکاوری takâvari
- command in Thai
- สั่ง sàng, คำสั่ง kam-sàng, อาเทศ aa-têet, บัญชา ban-chaa
- command in Vietnamese
- mệnh lệnh
- command in Myanmar
- အမိန့် a.min.
Examples of command in a sentence
- a good command of language
- The best goods command the best price.
- This job commands a salary of £30,000.
- It wasn't a decisive operation, and Carthage still had command of Spain.2013, Barry Strauss, Masters of Command: Alexander, Hannibal, Caesar, and the Genius of ..., Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 68:
- We are commanded to forgive our enemies, but you never read that we are commanded to forgive our friends.1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Revenge”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC:
- Go to your mistress: / Say, I command her come to me.c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies...
Synonyms of command
13 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Forms of command
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | commands |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | commands |
| present participle | commanding |
| past participle | commanded |
| past | commanded |
| second-person singular present (archaic) | commandest |
| second-person singular past (archaic) | commandedst |
| third-person singular present (archaic) | commandeth |
Origin of command
From Middle English commanden, commaunden, comaunden, comanden, from Old French comander, from Late Latin commandāre, from Latin commendāre. Ultimately from Latin com- + mandō (whence ultimately also commend (a doublet), mandate, and recommend), from manus + -dō. Compare typologically Russian поручи́ть (poručítʹ), поруче́ние (poručénije), руководи́ть (rukovodítʹ), руководи́тель (rukovodítelʹ) related to рука́ (ruká).
Words formed from command
- at command
- c-command
- command and control
- command and service module
- command hierarchy
- command-in-chief
- commandless
- commandlet
- command-line interface
- command line interface
- command-line interpreter
- command paper
- command pattern
- command processing overhead time
- command responsibility
- commandwide
- countercommand
- cybercommand
- divine command theory
- in command
- metacommand
- miscommand
- multicommand
- on command
- pilot in command
- second-in-command
- subcommand
- take command
- telecommand
- voice command
- Wernicke's command
- chain of command
- commandability
- commandable
- command economy
- commandeer
- commander
- commandery
- command guidance
- commanding
- commandism
- Command key
- command language
- command line
- commandment
- command module
- command performance
- command post
- high command
- second in command
- self-command
- trains command
- your wish is my command
Phrases with command
Words that rhyme with command
Questions about command
- What does command mean?
- Command means an order to do something.
- What is command in Hindi?
- Command in Hindi is आदेश (ādeś), आज्ञा (ājñā), दस्तूर (dastūr). See Command meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use command in a sentence?
- a good command of language
- What part of speech is command?
- Command can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce command?
- Command is pronounced /kəˈmɑːnd/ (UK).
- What is the plural of command?
- The plural of command is commands.
Words near command in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: command (page history and authors); command (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); അരുൾ (Malayalam) (page history and authors); command (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); ਅੱਗਾਯਾ (Punjabi) (page history and authors); દસ્તૂર (Gujarati) (page history and authors); ආඥාව (Sinhala) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-command.ogg.
Cite this entry: “command.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/command. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.