supervisor
Americannoun
-
supervisors
plural
-
a person who supervises workers or the work done by others; superintendent.
-
Education. an official responsible for assisting teachers in the preparation of syllabuses, in devising teaching methods, etc., in a department of instruction, especially in public schools.
-
(in some U.S. states) the chief elected administrative officer of a township, who is often also a member of the governing board of the county.
noun
-
a person who manages or supervises
-
a foreman or forewoman
-
(in some British universities) a tutor supervising the work, esp research work, of a student
-
(in some US schools) an administrator running a department of teachers
-
(in some US states) the elected chief official of a township or other subdivision of a county
-
obsolete a spectator
Usage
What does supervisor mean? A supervisor is someone who oversees and provides direction for someone or something. More simply, a supervisor is someone who supervises. It’s most commonly used in the context of the workplace to refer to a type of manager who supervises other employees. The adjective supervisory describes things that involve supervision. A supervisor’s role can be described as supervisory. Supervisor can be used more specifically in the context of education to refer to a type of official or tutor or in the context of government to refer to a type of elected local official who serves on a board with other supervisors. Example: The key to being a good supervisor is to give your employees enough space to do their jobs, instead of constantly standing over their shoulders.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of supervisor
1425–75; late Middle English < Medieval Latin supervīsor, equivalent to supervid-, stem of supervidēre to supervise + -tor -tor, with dt > s
Explanation
A supervisor is the person in charge at your job, who monitors you as you work. Your supervisor prepared you for the world of sneaker sales, and makes sure you don't give them away free to your friends. To supervise means to oversee, so a supervisor is someone whose job it is to oversee everyone else as they work. If you're the supervisor of a big kitchen, you probably won't spend time chopping onions, but instead wander around making sure everyone has their hair back and is using the right ingredients and working quickly. Sometimes in very complex problems, a whole organization can be a supervisor, like a city department that oversees the police.
Vocabulary lists containing supervisor
Like A Boss: Words for the Person in Charge
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
List 7
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 7
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Terah Lynn, a 37-year-old manufacturing supervisor in Nashville, helped spark the meme with posts on her @TerahBuilds Instagram and TikTok accounts that went viral and were soon copied.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Flock cameras and data centers worry Lynn, the factory supervisor, who moonlights as a social-media influencer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
“We drive these roads for the excitement and euphoria, just like people go to Disneyland,” says Matt Kometer, a SkyLink supervisor from San Pedro who drives a 2026 Mazda MX-5 Miata.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Fellow student Abbie Lovewell says finding out about Cole's Tourette's made absolutely "no difference" to her or how she views her supervisor.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
The supervisor, still staring, fanned himself with his sheaf of papers and said, “Ehe! I know you.”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
"I think she's one of the best supervisors that I've had," she adds.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
To help fill the staffing gap, the FAA said it expects five supervisors and, by the end of July, four trainees to be qualified to help manage traffic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The PSNI's policy guidance includes an expectation that supervisors will review all stop and search cases involving someone under the age of 18.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
There is disagreement between the supervisors over whether the resolution was indefinite or just for this last month.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Blake's supervisors ordered him to look for evidence of what happened to her, as talk of treason swirled around the MI6 headquarters.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
