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
Nix admitted she had given a false account of the events to the coroner, but said she had been "in a panic" over having failed to supervise the little girl.
From BBC ● May 26, 2026
Her sisters Maria and Judith manage the circus and supervise show details, respectively.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was on Tenerife to help supervise the evacuations, said that policy "may have risks".
From Barron's ● May 11, 2026
Rather ironically, the last major duty of the Adams collaboration was to supervise the transition of the federal government to its permanent location on the Potomac.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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
A boatswain on a merchant ship, who supervises the deck’s seamen and manages equipment like ropes and cables, can earn nearly $5,200 a month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 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
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
Some professional programs such as nursing cap how many students can be supervised by one instructor, which means schools can’t easily jam-pack additional students into one class, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 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
Isolation involves taking students out of their classes and moving them to a separate supervised space.
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
He supervised them briskly to unload things and take them into the master’s front room.
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
Comments on the social media pages of several news outlets wanted to know who had been supervising the children overnight, while some called for resignations.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
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 setup is the work of two technicians led by Frédéric Dorieux, who has been supervising the visual and lighting design since the show launched.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
Despite the lack of justification the program was launched, with the state providing the manpower and supervising the operation, the federal government providing equipment and additional men, and the communities paying for the insecticide.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
