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Sports & Fitness vocabulary · Coaching & Teams

Captain

Meaning in sports & fitness, with examples

/ˈkæptən/nounCore term

In sports & fitness, captain means: The player chosen to lead a team on the field, who often speaks to the referee, takes part in the coin toss and motivates teammates.

In Turkish: kaptan

How it is used

Used in all team sports. A player is named, appointed or made captain; in football the captain wears the armband, and in the UK the captain is informally called the skipper. The deputy is the vice-captain.

Example sentences

  1. She was named captain of the national volleyball team at just 22.

  2. The captain called everyone together after the second goal.

Common collocations

  • team captain
  • club captain
  • named captain
  • captain's armband
  • vice-captain
  • teammateA person who plays or competes in the same team as you, sharing training, matches and the team's results.
  • coachA person who trains athletes or a team, plans their practice, teaches technique and tactics and often makes decisions during competition.
  • refereeThe official who controls a match, makes sure the rules are followed and makes decisions such as fouls, penalties and cards.
  • pep talkA short, encouraging speech given to make people feel more confident and motivated, especially before or during a game.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Coaching & Teams

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