superintendent

American  

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

noun

• superintendents
  plural

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.

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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

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adjective

1. of or relating to supervision; superintending

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• superintendents
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

superintendent superintendents

But under a new distribution of powers, the next state superintendent will lose control over the education department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Jim Taylor, a former detective chief superintendent who previously led the unit, says this allows them to link organised crime gangs to offending across the country.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

The race for California’s next superintendent of public instruction is meant to be nonpartisan.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

I was a charter-school principal and superintendent in the South.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

In any case, a new general superintendent was being sent to Coalwood to make sure the sale of the houses and the churches and the utilities stayed on track.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Lovett’s company fills skilled management positions, such as project managers and superintendents.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

They formed relationships with landlords and building superintendents in order to exclusively list an apartment, charge tenants sky-high fees and then split the profit.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

The district finds itself in the unusual position of paying two superintendents.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026

The demand for injections can put a strain on resources, which are allocated in government hospitals through quota systems overseen by their superintendents.

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

Others found themselves at the mercy of Nazi officials, farm owners, and farm superintendents.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Related Words

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