1The person in command of a ship.

1. 1.1 The pilot in command of a civil aircraft.
   船长
   Example sentencesExamples

   • At the same time, a Beech King Air, piloted by a retired airline captain, began its takeoff roll on runway 4.
   • The captain and one co-pilot will be in the pilots' seats for both takeoff and landing, but during the flight all crewmembers take turns at the controls.
   • However: if we are to expect airplane captains and flight attendants to make important security decisions, they need to be properly trained.
   • So, he quickly wrote a note and passed his concern to the aircraft captain via one of the backseat crewmembers.
   • During the emergency descent the captain, flight engineer, and the attendant regained consciousness and an emergency landing was made.
   • The captain put on an oxygen mask and slowed the aircraft down.
   • Now I've got 9,000 hours total time, I'm an instrument-rated pilot, and a captain on a Lear Jet.
   • When, many hours later, the plane was still a few miles away from Heathrow, the captain would have lowered the wheels of the aircraft.
   • When we arrived at the flight line, the plane captain for my aircraft told us he was concerned with maintenance discrepancies found during his TA.
   • And, just as the way someone drives a car affects gas consumption, the way a captain pilots a jet can waste fuel.
   • Balpa said that under the agreement an aircraft captain will be told when sky marshals are to be on board a flight, who they are and where they will be sitting.
   • The prosecutor said a police officer boarded the aircraft while the captain was preparing for the flight to Dalaman in Turkey.
   • An aircraft captain has been criticised after failing to properly report an incident which affected a Stansted-bound flight last year.
   • It's the sort of aircraft where the captain's pre-flight safety briefing includes a warning not to touch the controls!
   • Lightplane pilots are faced with virtually the same decision-making tasks as are captains of jumbo jets.
   • Once the aircraft was on auto pilot, the captain, who had greeted me with a huge smile on the tarmac, came out of his cabin and chatted with the passengers.
   • The aircraft's captain said that two aircraft had just flown into the World Trade Center.
   • He also mentioned that the captain of that aircraft has been flying for more than 10 years, but 10 years with Southwest.
   • Airline management has been intimidating pilots by permanently demoting captains following accidents or flight mishaps.
   • I can tell members that there were moments when the captain of one particular aircraft got rather agitated by what was going on in the cabin, and it was pretty darn scary.

   Synonyms

   airman, airwoman, flyer, aeronaut
2. 1.2 A naval officer of high rank, in particular (in the US Navy or Coast Guard) an officer ranking above commander and below commodore.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Gold lace became confined to flag officers in both dress and undress uniforms; captains wore it only in full dress.
   • Even Jane Austen contributed to militarization by glorifying being a naval captain's wife in Persuasion.
   • He was encouraged to support the Royal National Lifeboat Institution by two of his neighbours, who are retired naval captains and has already raised about £800.
   • Admiral West joined the RN in 1965 and he was the captain of HMS Ardent during the Falklands War.
   • But the captain had summoned more naval men and now there was a small regiment chasing after them.
   • Incidentally, this pattern was that worn by captains and commanders from 1832-1939.
   • Among those attending were First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Alan West, retired First Sea Lord Admiral Jock Slater and several former commodores and captains of Dryad.
   • I happen to be reading the diary of Betsy Freemantle, the wife of a naval captain during the Napoleonic Wars.
   • Their children included three priests, two nuns and a naval captain.
   • Drawn into the murky world of naval intelligence, the captain and his multinational crew are on a mysterious mission that even DeHaan doesn't understand.
   • He is a captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve and a P3C Orion pilot.
   • The captains expect their non-signal commanders to have a high level of automation knowledge.
   • Among the burglar's loot were Nelson's three precious Naval Gold Medals, a mark of honour awarded to admirals and captains present at certain Naval engagements in the Napoleonic Wars.
   • Initially the Navy had only two ranks, lieutenant and captain; flag ranks were not established until the Civil War.
   • I hope some day that I will be able to visit, but certainly not in the capacity as a captain or a naval officer.
   • In ‘Billy Budd’ the innocent boy is hanged by his reluctant captain in accordance with naval law.
   • It turned out that Matt's Dad was a naval captain and his mother worked in Hong Kong, so he had to live with his Aunt.
   • She wore the grey tunic of a naval captain, the rank badges so green with seaspray they were unreadable.
   • Cumberland later went back to sea with one captain and five commanders on board - the six are shortly to assume command of their own frigates and destroyers.
   • The state of the care at Haslar attracted the attention of the top brass, who in 1795 decided that executive command of the establishment would be better in the hands of Naval captains.
3. 1.3 An army officer of high rank, in particular (in the US Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force) an officer ranking above first lieutenant and below major.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Minister for Defence Robert Hill talks with an Australian Army captain and warrant officer at a Middle East base.
   • He and his wife, an active duty Army captain, have been stationed at Camp Zama for two years.
   • These captains and lieutenants have formed a bond and mutual respect with their men and it is these faces that leaders remember for the rest of their lives.
   • You would be hard pressed to find a young captain or major who hadn't flown combat sorties in the area of operations.
   • Through repeated rehearsals, a captain can adjust his defensive strategy and intercept virtual attackers before they reach their targets.
   • One is an Army captain with a master's degree in archaeology.
   • Because captain retention is so poor, Department of the Army has chosen to make captains from lieutenants at three years of service.
   • Three to five platoons form a company, which is commanded by a captain with a first sergeant as the commander's principal NCO assistant.
   • The plane captains, taking great pride in the condition of their jets, scrambled to their Hornets to close the canopies.
   • What advice would you offer to U.S. Army infantry captains considering applying for an assignment in SOUTHCOM?
   • Also present was Sir Richard Kingsland, 92, a distinguished RAAF pilot who was one of the original aircraft captains of the squadron.
   • On Thursday, the senator agreed to lift his hold on promotions of 127 Air Force captains and majors.
   • No doubt the two lieutenants, one captain, and the major looking over its sergeant's shoulder had something to do with that.
   • A total of 8.7 percent of Army lieutenants and captains left in 2004 for example - the highest rate since 2001.
   • Historically, 95 percent of lieutenants become captains.
   • The failure of baby boomers to effectively communicate with younger generations of soldiers is driving many captains out of the Army.
   • ‘With the Army at war, captains need to get back to their units,’ Thompson said.
   • In addition, like shining stars, there were admirals, army colonels and captains everywhere.
   • To help alleviate a shortfall of 1,900 captains, the U.S. Army will promote officers earlier to the rank of captain beginning in October.
   • The heart of any Army is not its generals, but its young sergeants, captains and colonels.
4. 1.4 A police officer in charge of a precinct, ranking below a chief.
   〈美〉（警察的）分区副巡官
   captain of the 20th precinct

   Example sentencesExamples

   • In 1854, after nearly three years as police captain, Brennan made his first run for elective office, seeking the influential post of police justice.
   • The captain requested that police meet the flight on its arrival at Manchester.
   • As Dawn thought about the unofficial captain of the police, she felt herself calm.
   • Not to demean police captains, but guys then were sort of managing the guards.
   • Welles is Hank Quindlen, police captain in the filthy town on the north side of the Mexican border.
   • There was a retailer in Jacksonville a few years back, who got a visit from a police captain who told him that unless he removed several books from his shelves she would close him down.
   • The police precinct captains could then dispatch patrols, communicate between stations, and control vehicles.
   • Carly's eye went to the man, who wore the uniform of an Oneonta Police captain.
   • Meanwhile, an anonymous scooper told Comingsoon.net that the blonde daughter of a certain police captain will be making an appearance in the new Spider-film.
   • Police captains Jin and Leo are given 10 days to capture the new leader of the Daggers.
   • At the request of the police HQI, the captain called on the crowd to disperse, which it did.
   • Jessica was beginning to doubt if she had the right warehouse when she overheard a policeman talking with the captain.
   • We have established a relationship with the captain of the local police station.
   • Shortly after that my father received a phone call from Ken Lynch, a captain at the local police department.
   • Determined to protect their masters, however, two local police captains hatch a plan to flush out and kill the new leader of the group and begin by tracking her down to a house of pleasure named the Peony Pavilion.
   • Their 65-year-old mother, Hadima, was killed in the bombing, as was their brother Khalid, who was an Iraqi police captain.
   • Even while playing games with his friends, he always took on the roles of a captain or police sergeant and made his pals become thieves and prisoners.
   • The car was quickly surrounded by police and the captain approached the driver to handle the tense situation.
   • So he'd probably told one of the captains to order the police force to work with me without explaining why.
   • In a lawsuit filed in the late 1990s, Moose was accused of discriminating against a gay police captain.
5. 1.5US The head of a precinct's fire department.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • She was approached by a New York fire captain to help him write eulogies to fellow firefighters who died in the Twin Towers.
   • ‘It was a phenomenal effort,’ Mobile fire department captain Debbie Bryars said.
   • A fire department captain, a lifer who would do 33 years before retiring to a Florida golf course, he used days off to tee it up.
   • Yes, his father was a fireman, his uncle was a fireman, his uncle was a captain with the fire department.
   • Three people, including a fire captain, were injured Monday when a fire engine en route to an accident scene in Martinez got into its own accident.l
   • A Redding Fire Department captain died after collapsing at work Monday morning while exercising.
   • And they took us inside of an office, and the gentleman there was like the captain for the fire department.
6. 1.6 The leader of a team, especially in sports.
   （尤指运动队）队长
   Example sentencesExamples

   • During my senior year of high school, I was the captain of my basketball team and the king of superstitions.
   • As a team captain at the University of Tennessee, Wilson gained a reputation as the kind of player who inspired his teammates.
   • In high school, he was an excellent student and athlete, named as captain of the football team as well as editor of the school's newspaper.
   • And this season Smith, voted a team captain, has become a leader.
   • The team captain leveled a thinly veiled criticism at the club president just last week.
   • My ex was dumped by the cheerleader, for the captain of the lacrosse team.
   • Should the game run its full course, the trophy will be handed to the captain of the winning team late on Sunday.
   • But now, captains can bolster their teams with either a batsman or an extra bowler depending on the situation.
   • It was in his nature to fight with captains, umpires, team mates, managers, mentors, pupils.
   • There will also be plenty of other side-shows on view, with both teams' captains playing their last professional rugby matches.
   • They are team captains and senior leaders in the 2002 season.
   • That year she wore the class ring of the student council president, who was also the captain of the football team.
   • Several days later, the administration met with the team captains and student leaders.
   • It was understood from the time he got to St. Louis that he was a leader, and the players elected him one of the team captains.
   • You join a top of the table Sunday league team but the captain only happens to be the ex of your girlfriend.
   • Imagine you are the captain of a sports team facing an important match and you want to speak to everyone to persuade them to do their best.
   • He succeeded grandly, too, becoming an All-American center and a team captain.
   • It would be nearly impossible for the Browns to complete an entire season without the team's captains or a group of players emerging as the ones to follow.
   • The rugby chairman and team captains receive and make more phone calls to players to fill teams.
   • He had been captain of the football team, captain of the basketball team, MVP of all the sports he played.

   Synonyms

   leader, head, skipper
7. 1.7 A powerful or influential person in a particular field.
   领袖，首领
   a captain of industry

   一个工业巨头。

   Example sentencesExamples

   • After the Government was recently accused of being unresponsive, the chief minister called a meeting of industry captains and promised to address all issues on a war footing.
   • Manor Kingdom's client profile includes captains of industry, entrepreneurs, sportspeople and an increasing number of overseas buyers.
   • This isn't business culture as such; advertising people aren't the captains of industry.
   • As you know, I'm in business and I mix with some of the captains of industry.
   • The India High Commission recently hosted an interactive luncheon for the captains of business and industry.
   • With considerable fanfare, but without any captains of industry, the president enacted a crackdown intended to take some of the tarnish off the blue chips.
   • Gathered together were kings and prime ministers and presidents and captains of industry and the leaders of the world's great churches and other institutions.
   • Armed with information gathered from personal station visits, Mariswamy wrote to Bangalore's industry captains.
   • It could be said that they would be captains of industry if they had directed their efforts towards honest pursuits.
   • Like him or loathe him, no-one could ignore Sir John, who mixed with prime ministers, princes, captains of industry and film stars.
   • He dealt with captains of industry, ministers of the Crown, peers of the realm and princes of the blood - I was on the fringes of this highly powered world.
   • It may be, and maybe this is the point of the bill, that members think that such people - captains of industry - should not be members of Parliament.
   • This meeting was held as a precursor to the meeting scheduled between Chief Minister Dharam Singh and the captains of the IT industry after September 20.
   • There was this sense that the captains of industry were the proper people to steward us into this golden post-atomic age.
   • The Sunday Herald remains committed to encouraging our female captains of industry and entrepreneurs to speak with a louder voice in the future.
   • But the battle lines are not what you'd expect: local versus multinational, simple peasant versus powerful captains of industry.
   • Joe is a powerful leader, a straight talker and a seasoned captain of industry.
   • I personally know of Government Ministers and many captains of industry here in Ireland who avail of their services on a regular basis.
   • Have captains of industry teaching them business skills?
   • Influential captains of industry have complained that Kerry is one of the most expensive counties in Ireland in terms of rates charged to businesses.

   Synonyms

   magnate, tycoon, mogul, grandee, baron, nabob, mandarin, industrialist
8. 1.8US A political party leader in a local district.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • I know, lots of people thought the Florida Supreme Court or the U.S. Supreme Court looked like a bunch of precinct captains clawing for votes.
   • The election captain is looked to by his boss to get out every voter of the party in his district at the regular elections and on registration days.
   • The people in these organizations - from party leader to ward heeler to precinct captain to loyal voter - mattered.
   • You can ask voters to be a precinct captain, to volunteer for specific events or to show up at rallies.
   • Each ward has an area captain in charge, with stewards appointed for each polling station in that area.
   • By Election Day the Republicans had in place 844 precinct captains, who were able to round up 6,000 volunteers.
   • The first person I spoke with was an older woman who said she was a Democratic Party precinct captain in Detroit and had been asked to attend by her state representative.
   • After the signs are done, the key precinct captains take a dozen or so each and head for those key arterial streets where signs have been vandalized, destroyed by the weather or stolen.
   • Somewhere on a kitchen table in Iowa is at least one of the precinct lists that one of my Dukakis precinct captains promised to return to me after they had done their calls.
   • Sunday afternoon, the campaign told its precinct captains in conference calls about the secret arrangement worked out by both candidates.
   • ‘They rose above the fracas that Iowans got pretty sick of,’ said one Iowa City precinct captain.
   • Then, a precinct captain goes around with a piece of paper, counts heads, does a little mental math and determines how many delegates a candidate gets.
9. 1.9North American A supervisor of waiters or bellboys.
   〈北美〉侍者领班
   Example sentencesExamples

   • The service team - a captain, waiter, back waiter, and maitre d' dressed in tuxedos - are instructed to do whatever is necessary to make the guests happy.
   • This training manual covers every aspect of restaurant customer service for the positions of captain, waiter or waitress, and busser.
   • Vance was a busboy, waiter, captain, valet, and a limo driver before joining middle management in the '70s.
   • Want to know what's proper to tip the captain, waiter, or sommelier when dining out?

Be the captain of (a ship, aircraft, or sports team).