superintendent

American  

[soo-per-in-ten-duhnt, soo-prin-] / ˌsu pər ɪnˈtɛn dənt, ˌsu prɪn- /

noun

1. a person who oversees or directs some work, enterprise, establishment, organization, district, etc.; supervisor.

2. a person who is in charge of maintenance and repairs of an apartment house; custodian.

3. a high-ranking police officer, especially a chief of police or an officer ranking next above an inspector.

---

adjective

1. superintending.

superintendent British  

/ ˌsuːpərɪnˈtɛndənt, ˌsuːprɪn- /

noun

1. a person who directs and manages an organization, office, etc

2. (in Britain) a senior police officer higher in rank than an inspector but lower than a chief superintendent

3. (in the US) the head of a police department

4. a caretaker, esp of a block of apartments

---

adjective

1. of or relating to supervision; superintending

Etymology

Origin of superintendent

1545–55; < Medieval Latin superintendent- (stem of superintendēns ), present participle of superintendere to superintend; -ent

Example Sentences

Yuen told the jury that he retired as a superintendent in the Hong Kong Police Force at the age of 55, and moved to the UK to join his wife and children immediately.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

"Sorry to press you on this superintendent but you would have expected a call to be made," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

A superintendent assigned to the case gives George free rein to pursue his theories.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

On Friday the board voted 7 to 0 to put Carvalho on indefinite leave and named senior administrator Andres Chait acting superintendent.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 2, 2026

“The attempt to hold you in any degree responsible or censurable for the loss of life is an outrage,” wrote Dion Geraldine, his construction superintendent at the fair.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Related Words

• administrator
• chief
• controller
• curator
• custodian
• director
• inspector
• manager
• supervisor