supervisor
Americannoun
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supervisors
plural
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a person who supervises workers or the work done by others; superintendent.
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Education. an official responsible for assisting teachers in the preparation of syllabuses, in devising teaching methods, etc., in a department of instruction, especially in public schools.
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(in some U.S. states) the chief elected administrative officer of a township, who is often also a member of the governing board of the county.
noun
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a person who manages or supervises
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a foreman or forewoman
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(in some British universities) a tutor supervising the work, esp research work, of a student
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(in some US schools) an administrator running a department of teachers
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(in some US states) the elected chief official of a township or other subdivision of a county
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obsolete a spectator
Usage
What does supervisor mean? A supervisor is someone who oversees and provides direction for someone or something. More simply, a supervisor is someone who supervises. It’s most commonly used in the context of the workplace to refer to a type of manager who supervises other employees. The adjective supervisory describes things that involve supervision. A supervisor’s role can be described as supervisory. Supervisor can be used more specifically in the context of education to refer to a type of official or tutor or in the context of government to refer to a type of elected local official who serves on a board with other supervisors. Example: The key to being a good supervisor is to give your employees enough space to do their jobs, instead of constantly standing over their shoulders.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of supervisor
1425–75; late Middle English < Medieval Latin supervīsor, equivalent to supervid-, stem of supervidēre to supervise + -tor -tor, with dt > s
Explanation
A supervisor is the person in charge at your job, who monitors you as you work. Your supervisor prepared you for the world of sneaker sales, and makes sure you don't give them away free to your friends. To supervise means to oversee, so a supervisor is someone whose job it is to oversee everyone else as they work. If you're the supervisor of a big kitchen, you probably won't spend time chopping onions, but instead wander around making sure everyone has their hair back and is using the right ingredients and working quickly. Sometimes in very complex problems, a whole organization can be a supervisor, like a city department that oversees the police.
Vocabulary lists containing supervisor
Like A Boss: Words for the Person in Charge
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List 7
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"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 7
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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:
Mark Earley, the county’s supervisor of elections, told ProPublica he was “furious” when two marked U.S.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026
Douglas Hogge, a production supervisor in charge of a team responsible for the safe extraction of oil and gas, agrees.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
Madrone, the county supervisor, said some of the outreach to tribes was insensitive, with some people essentially telling members to get over the past.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
The supervisor of New York City’s pension funds, one of the largest in the United States, asked Anthropic to postpone its stock market debut until risks posed by its artificial intelligence technology are better controlled.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
This is how cheerful she used to sound when talking to Theresa, her supervisor at Sunnyside Eldercare.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
The amendment has the support of Horvath and other supervisors, as well as the League of Women Voters of L.A.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
They include experienced operators who can solve any problem, supervisors who can get a struggling shift back on track, production assistants who can sort out the hairiest schedule, and more.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
Furman noted that in Comey's role, "she was assigned some of the country's highest profile cases and consistently received the highest accolades from supervisors and peers alike".
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
Even with that announcement, Bass will have the lion’s share of political endorsements, including those of the four other county supervisors and county Sheriff Robert Luna.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
During intense periods, if the work exceeded the available hands, computing supervisors working in the East Area might put in a phone call to Dot Vaughan for reinforcements.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
