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:
"The roots of trust lie in two places: the teachers who set the question papers and the invigilators who supervise candidates. If either is compromised, the system is vulnerable," he told the BBC.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Managing the risk is possible, Lahav said, but the more capable these systems get, the harder they are to supervise.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
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
Dell Duke has agreed to supervise my homeschooling.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
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
In May 2024, she joined the Justice and Safety Division of the county counsel’s office, where she supervises civil litigation and advises county departments.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
He also supervises the Guardian Council, which has the power to vet electoral candidates and veto parliamentary legislation.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
"Over time, it grew. We've seen really strong growth through the years," Ara Khanikian, who supervises visual effects at Rodeo FX, told AFP at the studio's current home, a modern office with elegant wood paneling.
From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026
The woman I am sitting with—the girl who is only a few years older than I am—is a different person than the woman who supervises me every day.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Tesla now offers limited unsupervised rideshare services in at least three cities — Austin, Dallas and Houston — and supervised trips in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
“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
She argued that her ex-partner should only have very limited supervised contact with their three children.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Virginia Tucker, who had ascended to the position of head computer, ran Langley’s entire computing operation of over two hundred women, and supervised Margery Hannah and the other section heads.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
She continued that work for three summers before supervising the excavation of a late Roman site this year.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 25, 2026
The film’s supervising technical director was remarkably calm upon learning that the company’s most valuable assets had disappeared.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 20, 2026
Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2026
They will also be required to complete 14 training modules, signed off by an approved instructor or a qualified supervising driver such as a parent or guardian.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
Miss Stuart sits at her desk, supervising, while several girls open the box and deliver the valentines.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
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.
