gerund / present participle
In this use, it means firmly telling someone to do something.
The judge was commanding him to leave the courtroom.
She kept commanding the dog to sit.
American English
How to pronounce commanding
verb · adjectiveB1Very common word
kuhMAANdihng
/kʰəˈmæn.dɪŋ/
3 syllables · Stress the second syllable.
Form of command
Commanding can be the -ing form of command or an adjective meaning very impressive or authoritative.
In this use, it means firmly telling someone to do something.
Practice out loudMeanings & examples
gerund / present participle
In this use, it means leading and directing a group, especially soldiers or a ship.
The captain is commanding the ship during the storm.
For her, commanding a large unit requires calm decisions.
adjective
It describes someone or something that is very impressive or dominant, often because of authority, strength, or confidence.
He has a commanding presence in every meeting.
The team built a commanding lead before halftime.
Useful expressions
to use or understand something very well, especially a language
Maria has a good command of Spanish.
in control of a person, group, or situation
Who is in command of this operation?
a place where you type instructions for a computer
Type the name at the command line.