- Brit a naval rank junior to rear admiral and senior to captain
- the senior captain of a shipping line
- the officer in command of a convoy of merchant ships
- the senior flag office of a yacht or boat club
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
com•mo•dore /ˈkɑməˌdɔr, -ˌdoʊr/USA pronunciation
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Military(formerly) a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard ranking above a captain.
- Military, British Termsan officer in the British navy in temporary command of a squadron.
com•mo•dore
(kom′ə dôr′, -dōr′),USA pronunciation n.
- Military[Navy.]a grade of flag officer next in rank below a rear admiral.
- Military, British Terms[Brit. Navy.]an officer in temporary command of a squadron, sometimes over a captain on the same ship.
- Military[Navy.]the senior captain when two or more ships of war are cruising in company.
- Military(in the U.S. Navy and Merchant Marine) the officer in command of a convoy.
- Naval Termsthe senior captain of a line of merchant vessels.
- Naval Termsthe president or head of a yacht club or boat club.
- French commandeur commander
- Dutch komandeur
- earlier commandore, perh. 1685–95
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
commodore /ˈkɒməˌdɔː/ n
'commodore' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):