supervise
Americanverb (used with object)
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supervises,
present (3rd person singular)
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supervised,
past participle, past
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supervising
present participle
verb
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to direct or oversee the performance or operation of
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to watch over so as to maintain order, etc
Usage
What does supervise mean? Supervise means to oversee, watch over, and provide direction for someone or something. You can supervise a project or process as it’s happening, but most of the time the word refers to supervising people, especially parents supervising their children or a manager or supervisor supervising their employees. The noun form of supervise is supervision. Someone being supervised is said to be under supervision. When it’s used in the context of adults watching children, the word often appears in the phrases parental supervision and adult supervision. Children or other people who can’t be left alone are said to need constant supervision. When they are left alone, they’re said to be unsupervised. The adjective form supervisory describes things that involve supervision, such as in the phrases supervisory role and supervisory capacity. Example: The key to supervising your employees effectively is giving them enough space to do their jobs, instead of constantly standing over their shoulders.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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supervisionnoun
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presuperviseverb (used with object)
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nonsupervisingadjective
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quasi-supervisedadjective
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unsupervisedadjective
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well-supervisedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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supervisesimple
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supervisessimple
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have supervisedperfect
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has supervisedperfect
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am supervisingprogressive
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are supervisingprogressive
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is supervisingprogressive
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have been supervisingperfect progressive
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has been supervisingperfect progressive
Past
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supervisedsimple
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had supervisedperfect
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was supervisingprogressive
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were supervisingprogressive
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had been supervisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of supervise
First recorded in 1580–90; from Medieval Latin supervīsus “overseen,” past participle of supervidēre “to oversee,” from super- super- + vidēre “to see”; see also wit 2
Explanation
If your mother asks you to supervise your little brother and his friends, it means she'd like you to keep an eye on them. The verb supervise has origins in the Latin word supervidere, from super-, meaning “over” and videre, meaning “to see.” When you supervise something, it means you oversee the project, managing the people working on it, perhaps by figuring out what needs to be done, assigning the work, and making sure it gets done properly. You serve as the boss when you supervise; other people are the workers.
Vocabulary lists containing supervise
Power Prefix: super-
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Common Senses: Vid, Vis ("See")
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A Résumé of Active Words
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Standards, such as the number of children a teacher can supervise, would soon be under local control, leading to variations across the country, which Head Start advocates worry could diminish the quality of the program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
"The roots of trust lie in two places: the teachers who set the question papers and the invigilators who supervise candidates. If either is compromised, the system is vulnerable," he told the BBC.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Managing the risk is possible, Lahav said, but the more capable these systems get, the harder they are to supervise.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Students either catalog recovered artifacts, most of which are ceramics, or "broken pots," as Anderson described them, or supervise excavation trenches.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
So he was summoned by the chapter to design and supervise the construction of the new cathedral, and to hire the master craftsmen who would work under him.
From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay
It isn’t clear if Bowman, who supervises banks for the Fed, violated those rules by attending the dinner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
The key element is making sure that a physician supervises your visits and is available in person when needed by you or the associate.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
Ken Craft, whose nonprofit supervises the Budget Inn, declined to discuss specific cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2026
He also supervises the Guardian Council, which has the power to vet electoral candidates and veto parliamentary legislation.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
Yet the very next night, Hauptmann’s manner will be frighteningly closed; he invites no questions and supervises Werner’s work in silence.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
He supervised Machchhar during his early career training at SpiceJet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Our work has shown that older people are willing to try strength training, even if they have never done it before, when exercises are tailored to their needs and supervised by qualified professionals.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026
Dr Ken Collins, of the University of Southampton, who supervised the study, said: "Studland Bay is becoming a powerful example of how practical conservation measures can reverse habitat damage and deliver measurable environmental improvements."
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
But then on Thursday, a felony arrest warrant was filed for Shrine for alleged violation of post-release community supervision, a type of supervised release similar to parole, in Contra Costa County.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
He had supervised the roasting, now he was going to show us how you cut up a pig.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
Maan, 61, of Ashford, Kent, was the crane supervisor responsible for overseeing and supervising lifting operations on the site.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
They also argue that humans will probably remain in the loop, supervising that process—and gating how fast it can occur.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
Parents supervising a teen account would get daily notifications of time spent, prompts to review settings and the power to adjust school hours.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
The federal public defender’s office in L.A. had asked the judge to disqualify Essayli from participating in and supervising criminal prosecutions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
He resolved that to preserve his credibility as supervising architect, a role in which he would be compelled to oversee the work of other exposition architects, he would not himself design any of the buildings.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
