supervisor
Americannoun
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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
- 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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He served for 13 years as a county supervisor before resigning in August 2024.
From Los Angeles Times
Officers later informed a supervisor that they found “no indication of mental illness,” according to department records.
From Los Angeles Times
"Maintain your poise, say to the server, 'hey, this is what the situation is'. If the server apparently cannot fix it, then say 'can I see your supervisor?'"
From BBC
Stephanie, a customer service supervisor for the parking enforcement team, which is run for the council by NSL, also shared her experiences of verbal abuse to raise public awareness.
From BBC
To understand those consequences, we asked pairs of interviewees—employees and their direct supervisors—about their use of generative AI tools, ranging from content creation and legal research to data analysis.
From Barron's
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.
