supervisor

American  

[soo-per-vahy-zer] / ˈsu pərˌvaɪ zər /

noun

1. a person who supervises workers or the work done by others; superintendent.

2. 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.

3. (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.

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supervisor British  

/ ˈsuːpəˌvaɪzə /

noun

1. a person who manages or supervises

2. a foreman or forewoman

3. (in some British universities) a tutor supervising the work, esp research work, of a student

4. (in some US schools) an administrator running a department of teachers

5. (in some US states) the elected chief official of a township or other subdivision of a county

6. obsolete a spectator

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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

• presupervisor noun
• supervisorship noun

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.

Example Sentences

The department said in its statement that a supervisor was called to the scene, Cowser’s injuries were photographed, and she was taken to a local hospital for a medical evaluation.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

She, along with her supervisor, Sam Smith, developed the water and stain repellent Scotchgard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

Bernita Davies, a former supermarket supervisor and Alan Davies, a former factory worker, both had no previous convictions.

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2026

What separates the archaeologists and Egyptologists from the narrator, editor and supervisor of the music is that there are very few definitive answers to questions being asked three millennia after the fact.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

“My supervisor is Inspector Harry Bryant,” Rick said.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• administrator
• chief
• chieftain
• director
• employer
• executive
• leader
• owner