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Dictionary
Index C
command: Meaning and Definition of
Find definitions for:
com•mand
Pronunciation:
(k
u
-mand', -mänd'),
[key]
— v.t.
to direct with specific authority or prerogative; order:
The captain commanded his men to attack.
to require authoritatively; demand:
She commanded silence.
to have or exercise authority or control over; be master of; have at one's bidding or disposal:
The Pharaoh commanded 10,000 slaves.
to deserve and receive (respect, sympathy, attention, etc.):
He commands much respect for his attitude.
to dominate by reason of location; overlook:
The hill commands the sea.
to have authority over and responsibility for (a military or naval unit or installation); be in charge of.
—v.i.
to issue an order or orders.
to be in charge; have authority.
to occupy a dominating position; look down upon or over a body of water, region, etc.
—n.
the act of commanding or ordering.
an order given by one in authority:
The colonel gave the command to attack.
The command was “Right shoulder arms!”
an order in prescribed words, usually given in a loud voice to troops at close-order drill:The command was “Right shoulder arms!”
the order of execution or the second part of any two-part close-order drill command, as face in Right face!
(cap.) a principal component of the U.S. Air Force:Strategic Air Command.
a body of troops or a station, ship, etc., under a commander.
the possession or exercise of controlling authority:
a lieutenant in command of a platoon.
expertise; mastery:
He has a command of French, Russian, and German.
a royal order.
power of dominating a region by reason of location; extent of view or outlook:
the command of the valley from the hill.
an electric impulse, signal, or set of signals for initiating an operation in a computer.
a character, symbol, or item of information for instructing a computer to perform a specific task.
a single instruction.
—adj.
of, pertaining to, or for use in the exercise of command:
a command car; command post.
of or pertaining to a commander:
a command decision.
ordered by a sovereign, as if by a sovereign, or by the exigencies of a situation:
a command performance.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary,
Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
See also:
command
(Thesaurus)
Commager
commandant
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