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

Example Sentences

Another campus supervisor, Brad Ainsworth, hung back to search the empty bathroom.

From The Wall Street Journal

The supervisors voted more than four years ago to shut down Men’s Central Jail, a downtown facility notorious for dangerous and deteriorating conditions, without building a replacement.

From Los Angeles Times

Lunden also believed that her reputation was affected, since her colleagues knew she went on an overnight trip with a supervisor, and fewer of her stories were making it to air.

From Los Angeles Times

In September, San Bernardino County supervisors approved the 50-home project despite claims it will take away valuable foraging areas for the raptors.

From Los Angeles Times

When I worked at Bell Labs, it distributed organization charts weekly detailing the stacked hierarchy of supervisors, department heads, division heads and directors reporting up to a vice president.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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