command
/kəˈmɑːnd/ (bre, ipa) · [kəmˈænd] /kəˈmænd/ (ame, ipa) · [kəmˈænd] /kə-ˈmand/ (ame, mw)
command — noun
- commandsingular
- commandsplural
1. a spoken or written instruction telling a person or animal what to do, especiall
a spoken or written instruction telling a person or animal what to do, especially in a military or official setting
The captain gave a clear command for the troops to advance toward the bridge.
command + for + person + to-infinitive
Hana's dog obeyed her command to stay perfectly still for the photo.
obey someone's command
The general issued a command that all non-essential personnel leave the building.
Failure to follow a direct command during training can result in serious consequences.
The drill sergeant shouted a command across the field, and the recruits ran faster.
- order
less formal; used in everyday situations
- instruction
less authoritative; often about a procedure
- directive
more formal; used in official or corporate contexts
- request
a polite asking rather than an authoritative demand
用法筆記
Stronger and more formal than 'order'. 'Command' is often used in military, official, or hierarchical contexts. Common verbs paired with it: 'give', 'issue', 'obey', 'follow', 'carry out'.
常見錯誤
2. the power to direct a situation, team, or organization and make the key decision
the power to direct a situation, team, or organization and make the key decisions about what will happen
After the earthquake, the mayor took command of all rescue operations in the city.
take command of something
General Kofi was put in command of the entire peacekeeping mission in the region.
in command of something
The new director has full command of the department and reports directly to the board.
The colonel assumed command of the battalion during the most difficult phase of the campaign.
A captain must stay calm to keep command of the crew and the ship.
- authority
broader legal or formal right to act
- control
more general; not limited to formal hierarchy
- leadership
focuses on guiding others rather than giving orders
- submission
state of being under someone else's control
用法筆記
Commonly used with prepositions 'of' or 'over'. Often appears in military, organizational, or emergency-response contexts. Contrast with noun sense 1: sense 1 is a specific instruction; sense 2 is ongoing authority.
3. an instruction that tells a computer, program, or device to perform a specific o
an instruction that tells a computer, program, or device to perform a specific operation
Ravi typed a simple command to delete all the temporary files from the server.
type + command + to-infinitive
The program stopped working because Tomás entered an invalid command at the prompt.
enter + command
Each command in the deployment script must end with a semicolon to run properly.
The engineer used a single command to restart the entire database system across all servers.
You can run a batch command that copies files from one folder to another automatically.
- instruction
more general; can refer to any step in code
- directive
less common in computing; often used for configuration
- statement
a broader unit of code that may contain commands
用法筆記
Commonly used in terminal/command-line contexts. Verbs: 'type', 'enter', 'run', 'execute', 'issue'. A 'command' can also be a voice instruction to a virtual assistant.
常見錯誤
4. the ability to use a skill or subject with a high level of understanding and ski
the ability to use a skill or subject with a high level of understanding and skillfulness
Dr. Okafor has an impressive command of three different programming languages.
command of [language / subject]
Nadia's command of Japanese grammar impressed all of her university professors.
Playing this piano piece well requires a strong command of advanced finger techniques.
Wen's command of economic theory made her the top candidate for the research position.
A good translator must have a thorough command of both the source and target languages.
- mastery
implies total control and expert-level understanding
- proficiency
focuses on competence and skill level
- fluency
specifically about language ability; smoothness of use
- ignorance
complete lack of knowledge about a subject
用法筆記
Always followed by 'of' (command of a subject/language/skill). Often modified by adjectives like 'good', 'strong', 'excellent', 'thorough', 'perfect'.
常見錯誤
5. a wide view of an area that can be seen from a high or favourable position
a wide view of an area that can be seen from a high or favourable position
The hotel balcony gave a wonderful command of the entire valley and the river below.
command of [area] — view sense
From the tower, the soldiers had a full command of the harbor entrance.
The hilltop restaurant offered a commanding view of the coastline stretching for miles.
The castle's position on the cliff gave it a fine command of the surrounding countryside.
用法筆記
This sense is quite literary and less common in everyday speech. The related adjective 'commanding' (as in 'a commanding view') is more frequently used in modern English.
6. soldiers, military personnel, or territory placed under the responsibility of a
soldiers, military personnel, or territory placed under the responsibility of a single commanding officer
The entire command was ordered to relocate to a base closer to the border.
entire command — referring to the unit
Colonel Yusuf took charge of the southern command during the conflict.
southern / eastern / central command
Soldiers from the same command often train together before being sent overseas.
The Western Command covers more than two hundred square miles of desert terrain.
Each command in the air force maintains its own fleet of aircraft and support staff.
用法筆記
Typically goes with a geographic or functional label (e.g., 'Central Command', 'Training Command'). Capitalized when part of an official name.
command — verb
- commandpresent simple I / you / we / they
- commands3rd person singular
- commanding-ing form
- commandedpast simple
1. to tell someone with authority that they must do a particular thing
to tell someone with authority that they must do a particular thing
The officer commanded the soldiers to stand at attention as the general arrived.
command + object + to-infinitive
Priya commanded her assistant to prepare the quarterly report before Friday.
The king commanded that all taxes be paid by the end of the month.
"I command you to stop what you are doing at once," the principal said firmly.
The law commands that employers provide a safe working environment for all staff.
文法句型
command + object + to-infinitive
command + that-clause
command + object
用法筆記
Stronger and more formal than 'tell' or 'order'. In modern everyday English, 'command' is less common than 'tell' — reserve it for situations where clear authority is being exercised. The that-clause pattern often uses the subjunctive (e.g., 'that he go', not 'that he goes').
常見錯誤
2. to be in charge of a group of people, especially in a military or organizational
to be in charge of a group of people, especially in a military or organizational setting, and decide what they do
General Aiko commanded more than ten thousand troops during the peacekeeping operation.
command + troops / soldiers / forces
The fleet was commanded by an experienced admiral who had served for over thirty years.
passive: be commanded by
Rohan commands a team of eight software engineers working on the new banking application.
Leila commanded the rescue mission with calm authority during the most dangerous moments.
Any captain commanding a ship must be ready for difficult decisions in bad weather.
文法句型
command + noun phrase
用法筆記
Unlike verb sense 1 (which focuses on giving a specific order), this sense describes an ongoing role as leader. It is often used with military units, ships, or project teams. The passive form ('be commanded by') is very common in formal descriptions.
常見錯誤
3. to naturally attract or merit a beneficial response from others — for example, w
to naturally attract or merit a beneficial response from others — for example, winning their respect, attention, loyalty, or a premium payment
The young violinist commands a large and devoted audience wherever she performs.
command + audience / attention / following
Dr. Yara's groundbreaking research on climate change commands respect from scientists across the world.
command respect
The original painting commanded a record price of over three million dollars.
As a leader, she commands the loyalty of everyone who has ever worked for her.
The singer commands enormous attention on social media with every new post and announcement.
- lose
to fail to keep respect, attention, or loyalty
文法句型
command + noun phrase (respect / attention / price / loyalty)
用法筆記
The subject is typically a person, work, product, or quality that inherently deserves the response. The object is an abstract noun like 'respect', 'attention', 'admiration', 'loyalty', 'a high price', or 'a large audience'. This sense cannot be used with concrete objects like 'money' directly — you 'command a high salary', not 'command money'.
常見錯誤
4. to be in a high position that looks over a wide area below
to be in a high position that looks over a wide area below
The castle commands a beautiful view of the river valley and the hills beyond it.
command + a view of something
The tower commands a panoramic view of the entire city center from its top floor.
From the dining room, the restaurant commands a spectacular view of the mountain range.
The hilltop monument commands a fine view of the lake, drawing tourists from all over.
- overlook
more common in everyday English
- look out over
less formal, conversational
文法句型
command + noun phrase (view / scene / landscape)
用法筆記
The subject is almost always a building, structure, hill, or location — not a person. This is a formal or literary use. In everyday speech, people are more likely to say 'has a view of' or 'overlooks'.
常見錯誤
command — adjective
- commandpositive
- more commandcomparative
- most commandsuperlative
1. done because an authority figure requests or orders it, rather than by choice
done because an authority figure requests or orders it, rather than by choice
The pianist flew to the capital to give a command performance for the visiting president.
command performance
The pilot made a command landing after the control tower reported an engine fire.
command landing
In a command economy, the government decides what goods are produced and at what price.
All senior officers attended a command briefing at dawn before the operation.
- mandatory
broader; applies to anything required, not just ordered from a high authority
- compulsory
emphasizes that there is no choice
- voluntary
done by choice, not because of an order
用法筆記
This adjective is very restricted in use — it only appears before specific nouns like 'performance', 'decision', 'economy', 'landing', or 'briefing'. It cannot be used freely like other adjectives (e.g., we do not say 'a command meeting').
常見錯誤
❌ 'The command decision was made by the board.' (Ambiguous — could be noun sense) — Use 'command decision' only when emphasizing that the decision was ordered from above.