oversee

verb

over·​see ˌō-vər-ˈsē 

oversaw ˌō-vər-ˈsȯ  ; overseen ˌō-vər-ˈsēn  ; overseeing

transitive verb

1

: survey, watch

From his hilltop home he can oversee the river below.

2

a

: inspect, examine

oversees all new machinery

b

: to watch over and direct (an undertaking, a group of workers, etc.) in order to ensure a satisfactory outcome or performance : supervise

was hired to oversee the design and construction of the new library

oversaw 20 employees

Synonyms

• supervise
• manage
• operate
• regulate
• handle
• control
• conduct
• govern

Examples of oversee in a Sentence

He was hired to oversee design and construction of the new facility.

will oversee the new manufacturing division

Recent Examples on the Web

Leanne heads up campaigns, imagery and branding alongside retail and the overall running of the company, while Guy steers production, wholesale partnerships and generally oversees the finished products. —Gemma A. Williams, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

As part of the newsroom, all of Alyssa's work and coverage decisions are overseen solely by Journal Sentinel editors. —Alyssa N. Salcedo, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025

But visual effects provided the heavy lifting where the team, overseen by VFX supervisor Tom Turnbull, filled the sky with CG unkindness and mapped the chaos to characters fighting for their life. —Daron James, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025

The building will feature multi-barrier access points and fully touchless entry systems, all overseen by a security firm that also works with the U.S. Department of Defense. —Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 7 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for oversee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

oversee

verb

over·​see ˌō-vər-ˈsē 

oversaw -ˈsȯ  ; overseen -ˈsēn  ; overseeing

1

: to look down upon : survey

2

a

: to look over : examine

b

: superintend, supervise