manager

[ man-i-jer ]

noun

1. a person who has control or direction of an institution, business, etc., or of a part, division, or phase of it.

   Synonyms: boss, supervisor, superintendent, executive, administrator

2. a person who manages:

   the manager of our track team.

3. a person who controls and manipulates resources and expenditures, as of a household.
4. British. (formerly) a theatrical producer.

manager

/ ˈmænɪdʒə /

noun

1. a person who directs or manages an organization, industry, shop, etc
2. a person who controls the business affairs of an actor, entertainer, etc
3. a person who controls the training of a sportsman or team
4. a person who has a talent for managing efficiently
5. law a person appointed by a court to carry on a business during receivership
6. (in Britain) a member of either House of Parliament appointed to arrange a matter in which both Houses are concerned
7. a computer program that organizes a resource, such as a set of files or a database

Derived Forms

• ˈmanagerˌship, noun

Other Words From

• manag·er·ship noun
• sub·manag·er noun
• sub·manag·er·ship noun
• under·manag·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of manager¹

First recorded in 1580–90; manage + -er ¹

Example Sentences

It’s sixth in the Bundesliga right now and has also just gone through another manager firing.

From FiveThirtyEight

Hedge-fund manager and former presidential candidate Tom Steyer has injected millions into climate-friendly political campaigns over the years.

From Outside Online

With fresh security video, the managers were able to highlight the viciousness of the rioters and how close things came to an even worse disaster.

From Washington Post

I’ve vetted him thoroughly along with our general manager and owner.

From Washington Post

He played general manager, too, convincing Rob Gronkowski to come out of retirement and later advocating for the Bucs to sign wide receiver Antonio Brown despite his problems.

From Washington Post

Security officials told Agence France-Presse that the gas station manager said he had recognized the two men.

From The Daily Beast

“Then I learned he can't spell and is a manager at a CPK,” she said.

From The Daily Beast

“We would just as soon stay away from a group that will create controversy,” the Cubs general manager Sam Bernabe told the paper.

From The Daily Beast

An office manager, he says, was wearing an apron with Santa on it.

From The Daily Beast

The theater manager called security, and three moonlighting off-duty police deputies arrived.

From The Daily Beast

Bidding a young bank manager take charge of the detachment, Frank led the newcomer rapidly to headquarters.

From Project Gutenberg

My new-found old schoolmate had become the financial manager of a great business house having ramifications throughout the world.

From Project Gutenberg

Mr. Wainwright assumed the office of general manager on the first day of the year.

From Project Gutenberg

The goods manager was not aggressive, and it was sometimes thought that Mathieson inclined to encroach upon his territory.

From Project Gutenberg

No, he was a hard-headed Scotchman, full of ability and work, and as a railway manager stood at the top of the ladder.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• administrator
• boss
• controller
• director
• executive
• officer
• official
• organizer
• producer
• superintendent
• supervisor

More About Manager

What does manager mean?

Manager most commonly refers to a person who supervises employees in a company or other organization.

Managers are typically somewhere in the middle level of an organization—the term most commonly refers to a person who is a boss but also has a boss. Manager is the noun form of the verb manage, which has many meanings but commonly means to be in charge of or supervise employees.

Example: After six years, I’ve finally been promoted to the position of manager.

Where does manager come from?

The first records of manager come from around 1600. Manage is recorded earlier, around the mid-1500s. It comes from the Italian maneggiare, meaning “to handle” or “to train (horses),” from the Latin manus, “hand.”

Managers are responsible for training and handling their employees (whom they should NOT treat like horses). A manager typically oversees a group of people in a company and is usually responsible for planning, directing, and overseeing operations among that group of people. Collectively, the managers in a company (especially the top ones) are called the management. A manager is often a boss, but a manager also often has a boss. (Such a person is often described as being part of middle management.)

In professional baseball, the coach of a team is called the manager. Many sports teams also have another kind of manager—a person who manages the equipment and takes care of other things for the players. The word is used in a similar way in the context of entertainment to refer to the person who handles the business affairs of an entertainer or performer. Sometimes, a manager isn’t even a human (and we don’t just mean that as an insult to bad managers). The word can refer to a type of computer program that organizes something, as in file manager.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to manager?

• manage (verb)

What are some synonyms for manager?

• supervisor

What are some words that share a root or word element with manager? 

• management
• managerial

What are some words that often get used in discussing manager?

 

• boss
• employee
• executive
• administrator
• supervise
• oversee

How is manager used in real life?

Manager is a straightforward word, so whether it sounds positive or negative to you probably depends on whether you’ve had good managers or bad managers.

There is an old rule in management that a good manager doesn’t have just a Plan A, but they must have a Plan B & Plan C in the background, just in case the first one doesn’t work. ../7

— Alan Baxter (@AlanBixter) April 6, 2020

It’s crazy how having a bad manager will make u wanna leave a good company

— Dany Manansala (@svmmertimemagic) April 3, 2020

Nothing turns people away from a business faster than a manager that treats their employees poorly. It makes them just as uncomfortable as if they were the ones who were being treated that way. Great article! #UIS431

— Bailey Wallingford (@bailey__w) October 9, 2018

 

 

Try using manager!

Which of the following is an antonym (opposite) of manager?

A. supervisor
B. boss
C. subordinate
D. overseer