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.

---

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

---

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

First up was Kevin Griess, superintendent of the National Mall and Memorial Parks, who said he had been told about the tree removal from a deputy director at the National Park Service, Frank Lands.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

In that capacity, the state superintendent also worked in close conjunction with the state board of education — appointed by the governor — and often in concert with the governor and Legislature.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

But under a new distribution of powers, the next state superintendent will lose control over the education department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Jim Taylor, a former detective chief superintendent who was head of Opal until August, says the organisation is targeting multiple crime gangs.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

The next morning he went to police headquarters to brief the city’s police superintendent on his mission.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Lovett’s company fills skilled management positions, such as project managers and superintendents.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

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

Under California law, senior public officials — including school district superintendents and school board members — are required to make financial disclosures through a document called a Form 700.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 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

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

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

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

---