superintendent
Americannoun
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a person who oversees or directs some work, enterprise, establishment, organization, district, etc.; supervisor.
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a person who is in charge of maintenance and repairs of an apartment house; custodian.
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a high-ranking police officer, especially a chief of police or an officer ranking next above an inspector.
adjective
noun
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a person who directs and manages an organization, office, etc
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(in Britain) a senior police officer higher in rank than an inspector but lower than a chief superintendent
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(in the US) the head of a police department
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a caretaker, esp of a block of apartments
adjective
Etymology
Origin of superintendent
1545–55; < Medieval Latin superintendent- (stem of superintendēns ), present participle of superintendere to superintend; see -ent
Explanation
A superintendent is the overseer of an organization. The term superintendent is most often used to refer to someone who oversees a school district and — most importantly — decides when to declare a snow day. A superintendent is also the caretaker for a building, like an apartment complex. The superintendent is the person to call with maintenance issues, such as a broken lock or clogged toilet. Used in this sense, the word is often shortened to "super." A superintendent was originally a church official who oversaw several churches in a district. The word comes from the Latin superintendere, which means to oversee.
Vocabulary lists containing superintendent
Like A Boss: Words for the Person in Charge
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Power Prefix: super-
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Nothing But the Truth
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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.
A flyer featuring a pink background was the top Instagram post on California state superintendent candidate Sonja Shaw’s page on Saturday morning.
From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026
An Indian national, Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, who worked for both companies as technical superintendent for the ship, the M/V Dali, is also named in the indictment unsealed on Tuesday.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
When Wai started working at Heathrow, he sent a message to the former chief superintendent of Hong Kong Police's Criminal Intelligence Bureau Eddie Ma, who still had links to the Chinese state.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
When police moved in, Wai threw a fake warrant card that suggested he was a superintendent in the City of London Police out of the window.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Some administrator or superintendent in a starched suit, his flushed face greasy with perspiration.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
