supervise
Americanverb (used with object)
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supervises,
present (3rd person singular)
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supervised,
past participle, past
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supervising
present participle
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:
Standards, such as the number of children a teacher can supervise, would soon be under local control, leading to variations across the country, which Head Start advocates worry could diminish the quality of the program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 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
A number of petitions have been filed in the state high court and the Supreme Court asking for a police complaint to be registered and judges to supervise the investigation.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 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
Cool Teacher Mr. Jordan would’ve jumped at the chance to supervise a breakdancing club.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
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
First To Serve, the nonprofit that supervises the hotel, did not respond to inquiries from The Times.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 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
Vincent is a jack of all trades: he supervises shipments, keeps the account books, runs errands, and does whatever other odd jobs need doing.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
When they began deliberating, they had to stay in supervised accommodation, with little to no contact with the outside world, until they reached a decision.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Any use belongs in clinical trials or in carefully supervised medical settings, not in clinics selling expensive “immune boosts.”
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 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
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
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
Dr Gwenllian Rees, from Aberystwyth University's School of Veterinary Sciences, is supervising research which will study human-dog interactions and analysis of faecal samples.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 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
Our Rescue provided resources to help pay for software to search suspects’ computers and cellphones, according to Liam Doyle, supervising investigator with the district attorney’s office.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2026
When S-l reconvened the next day, Compton was awarded responsibility for supervising the theoretical research on U-235 and plutonium.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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.
