commodore

IPA/ˈkɒmədɔː(r)/
KK[kˈɑmədˌɔr]IPA/ˈkɑːmədɔːr/

commodore — noun

  • commodoresingular
  • commodoresplural

1. A senior-grade navy officer whose rank sits above captain and one level below re

1.nounC1
Definition

A senior-grade navy officer whose rank sits above captain and one level below rear admiral. The same title also applies to the person who runs a boating group or a yacht club.

Example

Rear Admiral Torres congratulated Commodore Leila Santos on her new command.

title used before a name: Commodore + [Name]

After thirty years at sea, Captain Beatriz Vargas was promoted to commodore in 2022.

passive: was promoted to commodore

Common collocations
  • promoted to commodore
  • Commodore [Name]
  • commodore of the yacht club
  • commodore's flagship
Synonyms
  • admiral

    a higher rank; commodore is one step below rear admiral

  • captain

    a lower rank; a navy captain can be promoted to commodore

  • commander

    a general term for any person in charge, whereas commodore is a specific rank

Usage Note

Frequently used before a family name as a formal title, e.g. 'Commodore Aparicio'. In navy contexts the rank is awarded by promotion; in yacht clubs the role is typically an elected position. The historical sense of an officer commanding a convoy of merchant ships is now rare.

Common Mistakes

The commodore commander inspected the fleet.
The commodore inspected the fleet.
'commodore' already means a commander; pairing it with 'commander' is redundant.
He was named commodore of the battleship.
He was named captain of the battleship.
a commodore commands a squadron or group of ships, not a single vessel.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

In naval hierarchy, commodore sits between captain and rear admiral — a one-star flag rank. Captain refers to the commanding officer of a single ship, while commodore commands a squadron of several ships. Rear admiral (two-star) is the next step above. Commander is a broader, non-rank-specific term for any person in charge (a police commander, a unit commander), whereas commodore denotes a precise rank within naval or yacht club traditions. Flag officer is the umbrella category for commodore and above. In civilian yacht clubs, commodore is an elected social role rather than a military command, which distinguishes it sharply from all other naval ranks.

admiral ↗captain ↗commander ↗flag officer

Common collocations

Nouns

  • commodore's flagship
  • commodore's squadron
  • Commodore [Name]

Phrases

  • promoted to commodore
  • serve as commodore
  • rank of commodore

Prepositions

  • commodore of

Etymology

LatinFrenchDutchEnglish

Borrowed into English in the 1600s from Dutch 'kommandeur', meaning 'commander'. The Dutch term came from French 'commandeur', which traces back to Latin 'commendare' (to entrust, to commit to someone's charge). The word originally referred to a naval officer who commanded a temporary squadron without holding full admiral rank. In the 1800s it was adopted by civilian yacht clubs and sailing organizations.