supervise
Americanverb (used with object)
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supervises,
present (3rd person singular)
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supervised,
past participle, past
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supervising
present participle
verb
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to direct or oversee the performance or operation of
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to watch over so as to maintain order, etc
Usage
What does supervise mean? Supervise means to oversee, watch over, and provide direction for someone or something. You can supervise a project or process as it’s happening, but most of the time the word refers to supervising people, especially parents supervising their children or a manager or supervisor supervising their employees. The noun form of supervise is supervision. Someone being supervised is said to be under supervision. When it’s used in the context of adults watching children, the word often appears in the phrases parental supervision and adult supervision. Children or other people who can’t be left alone are said to need constant supervision. When they are left alone, they’re said to be unsupervised. The adjective form supervisory describes things that involve supervision, such as in the phrases supervisory role and supervisory capacity. Example: The key to supervising your employees effectively is giving them enough space to do their jobs, instead of constantly standing over their shoulders.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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supervisionnoun
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presuperviseverb (used with object)
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nonsupervisingadjective
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quasi-supervisedadjective
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unsupervisedadjective
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well-supervisedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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supervisesimple
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supervisessimple
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have supervisedperfect
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has supervisedperfect
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am supervisingprogressive
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are supervisingprogressive
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is supervisingprogressive
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have been supervisingperfect progressive
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has been supervisingperfect progressive
Past
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supervisedsimple
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had supervisedperfect
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was supervisingprogressive
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were supervisingprogressive
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had been supervisingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of supervise
First recorded in 1580–90; from Medieval Latin supervīsus “overseen,” past participle of supervidēre “to oversee,” from super- super- + vidēre “to see”; see also wit 2
Explanation
If your mother asks you to supervise your little brother and his friends, it means she'd like you to keep an eye on them. The verb supervise has origins in the Latin word supervidere, from super-, meaning “over” and videre, meaning “to see.” When you supervise something, it means you oversee the project, managing the people working on it, perhaps by figuring out what needs to be done, assigning the work, and making sure it gets done properly. You serve as the boss when you supervise; other people are the workers.
Vocabulary lists containing supervise
Power Prefix: super-
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Common Senses: Vid, Vis ("See")
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A Résumé of Active Words
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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:
Ramos said one current union battle is to make self-serve checkout lines manageable for the workers who must supervise them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
"The roots of trust lie in two places: the teachers who set the question papers and the invigilators who supervise candidates. If either is compromised, the system is vulnerable," he told the BBC.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Managing the risk is possible, Lahav said, but the more capable these systems get, the harder they are to supervise.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Students either catalog recovered artifacts, most of which are ceramics, or "broken pots," as Anderson described them, or supervise excavation trenches.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
He’d teach you but he wouldn’t supervise you.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Teens won’t be able to change those settings without permission from a parent who supervises their account.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The key element is making sure that a physician supervises your visits and is available in person when needed by you or the associate.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
Ken Craft, whose nonprofit supervises the Budget Inn, declined to discuss specific cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2026
He also supervises the Guardian Council, which has the power to vet electoral candidates and veto parliamentary legislation.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
Yet the very next night, Hauptmann’s manner will be frighteningly closed; he invites no questions and supervises Werner’s work in silence.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
He trained as an artillery specialist in World War I and in World War II, he supervised the creation of patriotic films, including the “Why We Fight” series.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Tesla currently offers limited autonomous ride-hailing trips using Model Y SUVs in six U.S. cities, including Austin, as well as rides supervised by safety drivers in San Francisco.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 20, 2026
The vehicle, an SUV outfitted with tech that was supervised by a driver, was up for the task, Chief Executive He Xiaopeng said at an event Sunday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Malcolm will be supervised by the authorities for three years following his release from custody.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The warder who supervised us at night was a quiet, elderly Jehovah’s Witness whom Mac Maharaj had befriended.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
It’s that a woman who has paid to delegate a household task may find herself unexpectedly responsible for supervising its completion.
From Salon ● Oct. 25, 2026
On the day we visited, Olena was busy ferrying supplies to the house and supervising the installation of a new door.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Her experience includes supervising Eastlake Juvenile Court, where she ran a branch with 15 lawyers and represented clients in the collaborative drug court.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He started his career at SpiceJet, said Captain Gurucharan Arora, former director of flight operations at the low-cost Indian carrier, who remembers supervising him on a simulator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
He was exonerated, because two other employees who were supposed to be supervising the kids with him had not turned up for work.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
