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

According to Embry, the Centre Station Post Office is remotely managed, with supervisors typically stationed at the larger Arden Branch a mile and a half away. — Reeti Malhotra, Sacbee.com, 17 July 2026

Designed by Teiyu Goto, a product design supervisor at the Sony Creative Center at the time, the VAIO logo continued to represent the brand even after Sony sold the business to Japan Industrial Partners in 2014. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 July 2026

Elle’s music supervisor hired an instructor to walk him through how to convincingly play the chords on set, which were later overdubbed by a professional guitarist. — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 17 July 2026

These rules allow national supervisors to impose additional discretionary add-ons on top of the EU's basic 3% leverage ratio rule. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 16 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