supervise
Americanverb (used with object)
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:
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
The front-line workers are overseen by behavior analysts, more highly trained professionals who often have master’s degrees and licenses and can supervise multiple technicians.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Her sisters Maria and Judith manage the circus and supervise show details, respectively.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Probation officers supervise more than 4,100 people subject to a range of court orders and licences at any given time.
From BBC ● May 18, 2026
“Annabeth,” Chiron said, “perhaps you and Grover would go supervise Tyson and my cousins before they, ah, teach each other too many bad habits?”
From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan
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
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
Li explains what needs to be done and supervises her work in the greenhouses via a video link to his smartphone.
From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 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
“It will be a time for Brett to expand his skill set,” said Brian Adams, another BLS alumnus who once supervised him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
He planned to pick up the boy from the supervised child-care center at 11:30 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The company currently offers some unsupervised ride-hailing services in Texas’ Austin, Houston and Dallas, along with supervised trips in San Francisco.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
Police allege that Hussen went to the facility and supervised as several men unpacked the container.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
We demanded to be taken to work like the other prisoners, and this was soon granted, but we were taken out alone, supervised by Kleyrihans.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
She continued that work for three summers before supervising the excavation of a late Roman site this year.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2026
The panel heard evidence from two psychologists, a psychiatrist, the prison offender manager responsible for supervising him and the community offender manager who would be responsible for supervising him in the community.
From BBC ● May 11, 2026
“They literally fell head over heels flat into an ongoing operation that we had,” said Robert Zachariasiewicz, the supervising DEA agent who is now at corporate intelligence firm Elicius.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
And Mr. Gorringe is supervising both teams all the time.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
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.
