From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcommandcom‧mand1 /kəˈmɑːnd $ kəˈmænd/ ●●○ W3 noun 1 control [uncountable]IN CHARGE OF the control of a group of people or a situationunder somebody’s command troops under the command of General Robertsin command (of something) Lieutenant Peters was now in command. He felt fully in command of the situation.take command (of something) (=begin controlling a group or situation and making decisions) The fire officer took command, ordering everyone to leave the building.at somebody’s command Each congressman has a large staff at his command (=available to be used). By 1944, Fletcher had command of a B-17 bomber and a ten-man crew.2 order [countable]TELL/ORDER somebody TO DO something an order that should be obeyed Shoot when I give the command.3 computer [countable]TD an instruction to a computer to do something4 → command of something5 military [countable] a) PMAa part of an army, navy etc that is controlled separately and has a particular job pilots of the Southern Air Command b) PMa group of officers or officials who give orders the Army High Command c) PMthe group of soldiers that an officer is in control ofGRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?In this meaning of command is usually followed by a singular verb: The army command is considering a ceasefire.In British English, you can also use a plural verb: The army command are considering a ceasefire.6 → at your command7 → be in command of yourselfCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: the control of a group of people or a situationphrasesbe in command of somethingThe Colonel showed that he was in complete command of the situation.the chain/line of command (=a system of passing decisions from people at the the top to the bottom)Our company has a traditional management chain of command.verbshave commandAthens had command of the oceans.take command (=begin controlling a group or situation)Captain Kent took command of the Emergency Control Centre.assume command formal (=start to be in charge of a group of people)He assumed command of all the troops in the Washington area.put/place somebody in commandA third goal put Brazil in command of the game.lose commandThe enemy was losing command of the situation.be relieved of your command formal (=lose your military position because you have done something wrong)The General was relieved of his command due to misconduct.adjectivescomplete/full commandTheir fighters had full command of the air over Pearl Harbor.military commandA large area was already under US military command.joint command (=shared by two people, countries etc)Russia and Ukraine had joint command over the Fleet.sole command (=not shared with anyone)He was in sole command of a small military unit.command + NOUNa command structure (=the way in which a military organization is organized into ranks)Each of our national defence forces has its own command structure. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: an order that should be obeyedverbsgive a command (also issue a command formal)The General gave the command to open fire.obey a commandYour dog will soon learn to obey your commands.carry out a command (=obey one)The men carried out the command immediately.shout a commandKruger shouted his commands: 'Faster, faster!'bark a command (=shout one rather rudely)She just stands there barking commands while everyone works.
Examples from the Corpus
command• I heard him give a command and right after the command it sounded like a lightning crash...• These pilots belong to the Southern Air Command.• The Allied command was not unified.• I ignored his command and took off after him, racing along as fast as my legs could carry me.• If any of the King's subjects refused to obey one of his commands, they were put to death.• Money Your finances are looking healthy and you feel confident that you're in command of your cash.• That protecting Union line once broken left my command not only on the right flank but obliquely in rear of it.• We do advise you to dig out the manual that came with your modem to help make sense of the relevant commands.• An officer stood on one of the tanks and began shouting commands through a loudspeaker.• Admiral Collingwood gave the command to open fire.• Fire when I give the command.• The command structure, then, began at court and centred around the king.• A 12-hour alarm sounds off at your command.had command of• Athens, after all, had command of the oceans.• By January 1944, Fletcher had command of a B-17 bomber and a ten man crew.give ... command• Having done this give the command /Data, Query, Extract and the output range will fill with matching records.• You define the macro by deciding which keystrokes are activated and which keys are used to give the command.commandcommand2 ●●○ verb 1 order [intransitive, transitive]TELL/ORDER somebody TO DO something to tell someone officially to do something, especially if you are a military leader, a king etccommand somebody to do something Captain Picard commanded the crew to report to the main deck.command that The General commanded that the regiment attack at once.► see thesaurus at order2 lead the military [intransitive, transitive]TELL/ORDER somebody TO DO something to be responsible for giving orders to a group of people in the army, navy etc → commander He commands the 4th Battalion.3 deserve and get [transitive]DESERVE to get something such as respect or attention because you do something well or are important or popularcommand respect/attention/support etc Philip was a remarkable teacher, able to command instant respect.command a high fee/wage/price etc Which graduates command the highest salaries?4 control [transitive]CONTROL to control something The party that commands a majority of seats in Parliament forms the government.5 view [transitive]SEE if a place commands a view, you can see something clearly from it The Ramses Hilton commands a magnificent view of Cairo.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
command• Ford Motor Co. commands 16% of the market.• Top free agent tackles have been commanding $ 3 million a year.• Dr. Young commands a great deal of respect as a surgeon.• Her porch commanded a view fit for an empress.• Giannuli's office commands a view of the Capitol Dome in Sacramento.• Its most impressive feature, a large round tower or donjon, commands an eastern view of the Dee estuary.• I commanded an officers training corps.• Almost all those provisions command bipartisan support.• Traditionally, miners commanded higher wages than other workers.• And yet you command me - speaking with your father's voice - to answer you.• Received opinion in the art world is that he could command tens of thousands for each portrait.• The King had the power to command that parliament be dissolved.• Lee commanded the 101st Airborne division in World War II.• Admiral Boyle commanded the entire crew to assemble on deck.command that• A macro is a special command that activates a series of keystrokes automatically.• The user need never be aware of the internal commands that are triggered by the messages.• Coordination is essential and to this effect there are groups of radio commands that can be used.• The Archbishop's implied command that he leave the matter alone he decided to ignore.• When Andrewes died early in the next reign, King Charles commanded that his sermons be published.• The first is: every command that is given must be obeyed.command a high fee/wage/price etc• Guillaume was interested in him again as his work was beginning to command higher prices.• If her program beats me, her broker could use that to command higher fees.• Tighter health budgets mean new drugs have to be very good indeed to command high prices.• York ham commands a high price and is much sought after, especially at Christmas time.• As a result they have traditionally commanded higher wages than most other manual workers.• Yet that should have made pregnant slaves command high prices; they did not.From Longman Business Dictionarycommandcom‧mand /kəˈmɑːndkəˈmænd/ noun [countable] COMPUTING an instruction given to a computer using the KEYBOARD or the MOUSEWhen you have typed the document, use the save command to save it.Origin command2 (1200-1300) Old French comander, from Vulgar Latin commandare, from Latin commendare ( → COMMEND); influenced by Latin mandare “to order” 