supervisor

noun

su·​per·​vi·​sor ˈsü-pər-ˌvī-zər 

: one that supervises

especially : an administrative officer in charge of a business, government, or school unit or operation

supervisory

ˌsü-pər-ˈvī-zə-rē 

-ˈvīz-rē

adjective

Synonyms of supervisor

• manager
• executive
• administrator
• director
• superintendent

Examples of supervisor in a Sentence

The supervisor fired him after he showed up at work drunk.

If you have a problem, go to your supervisor.

Recent Examples on the Web

All the spending on the national events angers one supervisor at a Florida airport. — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 3 July 2026

There is disagreement between the supervisors over whether the resolution was indefinite or just for this last month. — Jazmin Alvarado, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Doctoral students, who will be co-advised by academic and industry supervisors, will also spend a year in industry internships in their fourth year. — Lucas Laursen, IEEE Spectrum, 2 July 2026

Some senior vacancies, such as human resources manager and recreation supervisor, would be underfilled with a junior employee. — Hema Sivanandam, Mercury News, 2 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Medieval Latin, from supervidēre

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supervisor

• advertiser
• analyser
• analyzer
• appetizer
• atomizer
• breathalyzer
• colonizer
• digitizer
• equalizer
• fertilizer
• localizer
• merchandiser

Kids Definition

supervisor

noun

su·​per·​vi·​sor ˈsü-pər-ˌvī-zər 

: a person who supervises

especially : an officer in charge of a unit or an operation of a business, government, or school

supervisory

ˌsü-pər-ˈvīz-(ə-)rē 

adjective

Legal Definition

supervisor

noun

su·​per·​vi·​sor ˈsü-pər-ˌvī-zər 

: one that directs or oversees a person, group, department, organization, or operation

specifically : the popularly elected chief administrative official of a township or other subdivision in some states of the U.S.

supervisorial

ˌsü-pər-ˌvī-ˈzōr-ē-əl

adjective

supervisory

ˌsü-pər-ˈvī-zə-rē 

adjective