overseer

American  

[oh-ver-see-er, -seer] / ˈoʊ vərˌsi ər, -ˌsɪər /

noun

1. a person who oversees; supervisor; manager.

   the overseer of a plantation.

   Synonyms:

   director, boss, head, chief

---

overseer British  

/ ˈəʊvəˌsiːə /

noun

1. Also called (less commonly): overlooker.  a person who oversees others, esp workmen

2. history short for overseer of the poor; a minor official of a parish attached to the workhouse or poorhouse

---

Other Word Forms

• suboverseer noun

Etymology

Origin of overseer

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; oversee, -er ¹

Example Sentences

If banks lent out the funds anyway, they would be subject to costly demerits from their overseers.

From The Wall Street Journal

The comedian, who returned to host Monday nights in early 2024 after nearly a decade away, acknowledged recent tensions with the network’s new corporate overseers.

From Salon

Pasta has been eaten in southern Italy since the Middle Ages, when Sicily’s Arab overseers introduced the drying of dough as a form of preservation, according to Amadei.

From The Wall Street Journal

The confused stowaway tried to hop away onto the freeway, but project overseer Robert Rock rescued the frog and released it at the top of the crossing.

From Los Angeles Times

Sun, however, had a problem: a deformed finger that slowed him down and drew the ire of his overseers.

From Barron's

Related Words

• superintendent
• supervisor