supervision

American  

[soo-per-vizh-uhn] / ˌsu pərˈvɪʒ ən /

noun

1. the act or function of supervising; superintendence.

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Usage

What does supervision mean? Supervision is the act of overseeing or watching over someone or something. Supervision is the noun form of the verb supervise, meaning to oversee or watch over. You can supervise a project, but most of the time supervision means supervising people, especially parents supervising their children or a manager or supervisor supervising their employees. Someone or something 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. Example: All children in this building must be under adult supervision.

Other Word Forms

• nonsupervision noun
• presupervision noun
• prosupervision adjective

Etymology

Origin of supervision

1615–25; < Medieval Latin supervīsiōn- (stem of supervīsiō ) oversight, equivalent to super- super- + vīsiōn- vision

Explanation

When you keep an eye on someone, that's supervision. Small children require supervision when they're swimming, and a middle school math class needs supervision while they're taking a quiz. To watch over and keep people (or animals) safe, or to watch and manage them while they work, is to supervise them. The act of doing this is supervision. If your boss lets you work without supervision, that means that she doesn't feel the need to observe you while you get your job done. Supervision and supervise stem from the Latin roots super, "over," and videre, "to see."

Example Sentences

A judge ruled she was suffering from schizophrenia and should remain under the court's supervision, according to local media.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

At the same time, they reported poorer mental health and were more often responsible for household or family supervision.

From Science Daily • Apr. 11, 2026

He has an individualized education plan stating that he needs constant one-on-one supervision.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

As a new joint rule-making by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Comptroller of the Currency explains, “supervising for reputation risk as a standalone risk adds substantial subjectivity to bank supervision and can be abused.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

And so I thought of a way for Nelson to be in the capital, under supervision so he wouldn’t be running wild with women or his rebel uncles.

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• administration
• care
• control
• guidance
• instruction
• oversight
• surveillance