manager
Americannoun
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managers
plural
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a person who has control or direction of an institution, business, etc., or of a part, division, or phase of it.
- Synonyms:
- boss, supervisor, superintendent, executive, administrator
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a person who manages.
the manager of our track team.
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a person who controls and manipulates resources and expenditures, as of a household.
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British. (formerly) a theatrical producer.
noun
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a person who directs or manages an organization, industry, shop, etc
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a person who controls the business affairs of an actor, entertainer, etc
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a person who controls the training of a sportsman or team
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a person who has a talent for managing efficiently
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law a person appointed by a court to carry on a business during receivership
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(in Britain) a member of either House of Parliament appointed to arrange a matter in which both Houses are concerned
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a computer program that organizes a resource, such as a set of files or a database
Usage
What does manager mean? Manager most commonly refers to a person who supervises employees in a company or other organization. Managers are typically somewhere in the middle level of an organization—the term most commonly refers to a person who is a boss but also has a boss. Manager is the noun form of the verb manage, which has many meanings but commonly means to be in charge of or supervise employees. Example: After six years, I’ve finally been promoted to the position of manager.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of manager
Explanation
It makes sense that a manager is someone who "manages," or takes charge of something. A baseball team manager is in charge of running the team, while a business manager oversees finances, scheduling, and the everyday operation of the business. The probable origin of the word manager comes from the Latin manus, meaning "hand." A good manager provides the necessary "hand," guiding others. The Italian maneggiare means "to control," and was especially used with reference to training horses, a job for which certain managers you've worked for might be better suited. The word extends beyond human beings as well: the file manager on your computer is a program designed to organize data.
Vocabulary lists containing manager
Like A Boss: Words for the Person in Charge
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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Words for the World Series
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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:
When the season kicks off Friday, he will somehow be the longest tenured manager in the league—by nearly three full years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
"A few years ago this club was in League Two, playing in a different stadium," manager Frank Lampard told Sky Sports after Coventry's first top-flight game since 2001.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
But every minute counts for those in mourning, said Randy Schwab, the general manager of Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The inquiry reportedly concerns certain loans from which the fund manager benefited that ended up on the books of insurance companies he controls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
When night fell, the manager of the property patrolled the grounds with three big German shepherds.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
What a strange season Nottingham Forest had last time, going through four managers and all with differing styles.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Active managers have the option of just mirroring the index and making themselves irrelevant or picking stocks with smaller index weights not lifted as much by the gusher of savings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo however announced that one of its senior managers in Florida, Jose Alberto Suarez, had died in the crash.
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
The news came just one day after the latest BofA Securities monthly survey of fund managers showed that big institutions were heavily underinvested in bonds.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
This was a better way of passing time than seeing personnel managers, several of whom, Ignatius thought, had treated him rather viciously in the last few days.
From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole
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.
