oversee
Americanverb (used with object)
-
oversees,
present (3rd person singular)
-
oversaw,
past
-
overseen,
past participle
-
overseeing
present participle
-
to direct (work or workers); supervise; manage.
He was hired to oversee the construction crews.
-
to see or observe secretly or unintentionally.
We happened to oversee the burglar leaving the premises. He was overseen stealing the letters.
-
to survey or watch, as from a higher position.
-
to look over; examine; inspect.
verb
-
to watch over and direct; supervise
-
to watch secretly or accidentally
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
overseesimple
-
overseessimple
-
have overseenperfect
-
has overseenperfect
-
am overseeingprogressive
-
are overseeingprogressive
-
is overseeingprogressive
-
have been overseeingperfect progressive
-
has been overseeingperfect progressive
Past
-
oversawsimple
-
had overseenperfect
-
was overseeingprogressive
-
were overseeingprogressive
-
had been overseeingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of oversee
First recorded before 900; Middle English overseen, Old English ofersēon; equivalent to over- + see 1
Explanation
To oversee is to supervise or watch over, the way a principal oversees a school or a store manager oversees everyone who works there. This verb comes from the Old English oferseon, to "look down upon," which is also how oversee was originally used. You can say, "From this hill I oversee the whole town," but today it's much more common for oversee to mean supervise. If your Spanish club puts you in charge of the bake sale, you'll oversee everything: pricing the brownies, arranging cookies on a table, and reminding volunteers when to show up.
Vocabulary lists containing oversee
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:
Field led development of Tesla’s Model 3 and then Apple’s now-defunct car project before being lured to Ford in 2021 to oversee its EV and digital efforts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Skydance has said it will keep the Warner Bros. and Paramount studios distinct, though Paramount Pictures chiefs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein are expected to oversee both.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
A suave, Tufts-educated figure, Mubarak sits on Abu Dhabi’s powerful Executive Council and helps oversee the country’s vast wealth funds and some of its biggest state-owned enterprises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Inglethorpe and his team oversee the development of younger players and ensure there is alignment between the academy and the first team.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Communications were not very efficient in those days, particularly in the townships where few people owned telephones, and it was a frustrating task to oversee a strike.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
But he has carried on in a role in which he oversees youth development at academies in 60 countries, as well as youth competitions around the world.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
The commission, which oversees voting in the world's most populous nation, has denied any wrongdoing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026
Cobb County Police Department detectives and the Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner’s office, which oversees amusement parks in the state, are investigating.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
The Election Commission of India, which oversees the voting process in the world's most populous nation, has denied wrongdoing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
He works at it, oversees his herd and adds to it.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
Bass, for instance, oversaw the reappointment of McDonnell’s predecessor, Michel Moore, shortly after her election and stood by him for a year before Moore’s abrupt resignation in early 2024.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
That point harks back to a similar, unfulfilled promise by his father, who instead oversaw soaring deforestation rates.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Bajaria oversaw the teams responsible for Netflix content around the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Bassam al-Hassan, who oversaw Syria's chemical weapons programme and was a senior adviser to former President Bashar al-Assad, is being harboured in Lebanon following the Assad regime's collapse in 2024.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
Then Shady oversaw the process with the watchful eye of a master craftsman, wanting each of his apprentices to learn the art of his trade.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
In recent days, the Indian capital has seen street protests over a large-scale voter roll revision exercise overseen by chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Had Ratan Tata overseen the succession himself, the transition would have been smoother, he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
Metrolink is operated by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, overseen by members from multiple transit authorities including those of Los Angeles and Orange counties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
The vehicle authority, overseen by a governor-appointed board that includes Laredo’s police chief, Miguel Rodriguez, had completely covered Laredo’s installation costs for its 165 cameras, according to a police department spokesperson.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
Often, Winnie’s visits were overseen by Warrant Officer James Gregory, who had been a censor on Robben Island.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
At the time the 1736 FCC paid for these additional benefits, Adelkoff was already earning one of the highest base salaries among nonprofit executives overseeing homelessness programs in the L.A. area.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Hanju Kim, an integrated M.S./Ph.D. student, participated as a co-author, with Professor Ryu overseeing the research.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
Jäger is overseeing the BND’s transformation from a pure information-gathering and analysis outfit into a harder-hitting secret service with expanded powers, including the ability to strike back following cyberattacks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
Maan, 61, of Ashford, Kent, was the crane supervisor responsible for overseeing and supervising lifting operations on the site.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
She and Haymitch will be overseeing us right into the arena.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
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