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:
"She was always happy, bubbly and chatty to everyone," said store supervisor Alfie Williams.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Now, on March 12, 1928, a supervisor at the St. Francis Dam was calling to say there might be a problem.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Carlota Medus, senior epidemiologist supervisor at the Minnesota Department of Health’s foodborne-diseases unit, said in a statement that the department had identified 110 cases of salmonella javiana that were part of the outbreak.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 4, 2026
Around 2 p.m., the sheriff’s department lead supervisor on the scene texted Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos, alerting him to a missing-person case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
The supervisor, still staring, fanned himself with his sheaf of papers and said, “Ehe! I know you.”
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, City Councilmember Ysabel Jurado and all five Los Angeles County supervisors were among the elected officials who submitted comments and letters in support of the abatement order.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
The other five are selected by the county supervisors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Scurries unveiled the melody ahead of a critical board of supervisors vote that could pave the way for Rucci’s data center.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Persimmon put a number of safety measures in place in the aftermath of the fire, including "waking watches" and fire supervisors.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Part consultants and part teachers, computing supervisors had to be top-notch computers themselves, capable of grasping the needs of the engineer and clearly explaining the requirements to her subordinates.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
