superintendent

American  

[soo-per-in-ten-duhnt, soo-prin-] / ˌsu pər ɪnˈtɛn dənt, ˌsu prɪn- /

noun

• superintendents
  plural

1. a person who oversees or directs some work, enterprise, establishment, organization, district, etc.; supervisor.

2. a person who is in charge of maintenance and repairs of an apartment house; custodian.

3. a high-ranking police officer, especially a chief of police or an officer ranking next above an inspector.

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adjective

1. superintending.

superintendent British  

/ ˌsuːpərɪnˈtɛndənt, ˌsuːprɪn- /

noun

1. a person who directs and manages an organization, office, etc

2. (in Britain) a senior police officer higher in rank than an inspector but lower than a chief superintendent

3. (in the US) the head of a police department

4. a caretaker, esp of a block of apartments

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adjective

1. of or relating to supervision; superintending

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• superintendents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of superintendent

1545–55; < Medieval Latin superintendent- (stem of superintendēns ), present participle of superintendere to superintend; see -ent

Explanation

A superintendent is the overseer of an organization. The term superintendent is most often used to refer to someone who oversees a school district and — most importantly — decides when to declare a snow day. A superintendent is also the caretaker for a building, like an apartment complex. The superintendent is the person to call with maintenance issues, such as a broken lock or clogged toilet. Used in this sense, the word is often shortened to "super." A superintendent was originally a church official who oversaw several churches in a district. The word comes from the Latin superintendere, which means to oversee.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

superintendent superintendents

The operations superintendent in Saskatchewan, Canada, keeps a running list of items he wants to create.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

It's an approach that has become especially vital in the "urban fringes", says superintendent Andrew Shurety from Fire and Rescue NSW.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

One provision would’ve required private schools accepting public money to give a common standardized test and report results to the county superintendent, allowing more insight into the schools’ educational quality.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

"He has been suspended, and the three people injured in the incident are undergoing treatment," police superintendent Puran Kumar Jha told AFP on Monday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

The police superintendent said his conscience was clear.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

They formed relationships with landlords and building superintendents in order to exclusively list an apartment, charge tenants sky-high fees and then split the profit.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

He is contemplating branching out into skilled-trade professions like welders, plumbers and construction superintendents, which he considers less vulnerable to automation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 27, 2026

The district finds itself in the unusual position of paying two superintendents.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

The demand for injections can put a strain on resources, which are allocated in government hospitals through quota systems overseen by their superintendents.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

Foremen and superintendents, along with a few laborers who decided to stay on the job and the recruited blacks, were doing what they could to keep the disassembly line running.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Related Words

• administrator
• chief
• controller
• curator
• custodian
• director
• inspector
• manager
• supervisor