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:
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
It told the Mumbai police commissioner to supervise the investigation and demanded a status report.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 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
It has started tracking employees’ mouse clicks and keystrokes to train its AI models on how to use computers and has touted a future where AI agents primarily do the work and employees supervise them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Ferris was unable to go to Chicago himself but sent his partner W. F. Gronau to supervise the first turn.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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
In May 2024, she joined the Justice and Safety Division of the county counsel’s office, where she supervises civil litigation and advises county departments.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
He also supervises the Guardian Council, which has the power to vet electoral candidates and veto parliamentary legislation.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
Scott Tomlin from Virginia said his son, who supervises supplies coming aboard the Ford, doesn’t like the food on the carrier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026
She is a professor in the psychology department, where she supervises students who are getting master’s degrees.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
Earlier reporting by The Times stated that Hilton was granted supervised visits with his children, but his brother-in-law said he had not had any contact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Burials must be strictly supervised as the virus spreads by contact with bodily fluids, meaning corpses can remain contagious.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
The Revolutionary Guard supervised deployments of missiles, naval weapons and drone launchers to positions overlooking the Red Sea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Being released on licence means serving the remainder of a prison sentence under supervised conditions in the community.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
James Fisk, who supervised the American side of the talks with a diplomatic skill unexpected of a scientific appointee, brought home an agreement designating the detection of nuclear bomb tests as “technically feasible.”
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Meta also uses various signals to determine whether the person supervising a teen account—and thereby able to turn off key restrictions, such as the time limits—is actually the teen’s parent.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
She continued that work for three summers before supervising the excavation of a late Roman site this year.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
Estrada is the most senior district official supervising instruction.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
General Abdallah Noureddine, another senior commander supervising operations near the village of El Ezzeiat, told AFP the manoeuvres were "a message for our friends and our foes".
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
He resolved that to preserve his credibility as supervising architect, a role in which he would be compelled to oversee the work of other exposition architects, he would not himself design any of the buildings.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
