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

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

Local police superintendent ANM Sajedur Rahman said authorities lacked the resources to dismantle trafficking networks.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

The next day, the school superintendent issued a statement supporting the referee’s decision.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Powell, a retired police superintendent and chair of the Crystal Palace Sports Partnership, also feels younger generations would benefit from being able to train on the same track that global athletics stars race on.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

When the superintendent of Saint Elizabeth’s, Dr. William White, went to Paul’s cell to evaluate her mental health, she was expecting the worst.

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

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

He said such posts would be referred to the agency’s investigations division and asked superintendents to report inappropriate content they saw, according to a copy of the email in the lawsuit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026

Then shining cars bring the upper classes down: superintendents, accountants, owners who disappear into offices.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Related Words

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