supervision

[soo-per-vizh-uhn]

noun

1. the act or function of supervising; superintendence.

Other Word Forms

• nonsupervision noun
• presupervision noun
• prosupervision adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of supervision¹

1615–25; < Medieval Latin supervīsiōn- (stem of supervīsiō ) oversight, equivalent to super- super- + vīsiōn- vision

Example Sentences

Federal Reserve officials are planning to reduce the staff of its banking supervision arm by 30% by the end of next year, according to an internal memo seen by The Wall Street Journal.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"The Red Cross, the Egyptian technical team, and a Hamas person have been permitted to enter beyond the IDF's Yellow Line position in Gaza under close IDF supervision," government spokeswoman Shosh Bedrosian told a briefing.

Read more on BBC

The operator Allwyn confirmed the draw had been paused "due to the bonus ball not dropping" and would resume as soon as possible with an alternative machine and "under the supervision of an independent adjudicator".

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The European Central Bank, which took over supervision of larger euro area institutions in 2014, has also laid on a heavier regulatory hand than U.S. counterparts.

Read more on Barron's

He could talk about small doses and medical supervision all he wanted, but critics, including WADA, insisted that Enhanced was putting athletes in danger and setting a profoundly toxic example.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• administration 
• care 
• control 
• guidance 
• instruction 
• oversight 
• surveillance 

When To Use

What does supervision mean?

Supervision is the act of overseeing or watching over someone or something.Supervision is the noun form of the verb supervise, meaning to oversee or watch over. You can supervise a project, but most of the time supervision means supervising people, especially parents supervising their children or a manager or supervisor supervising their employees.Someone or something 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.Example: All children in this building must be under adult supervision.