Commodore Vanderbilt com·mo·do·revanderbilt uncommon noun 1. United States financier who accumulated great wealth from railroad and shipping businesses (1794-1877) SynonymsVanderbiltCornelius VanderbiltCommodore Vanderbilt Related words Broader terms financierphilanthropist WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved.