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 of oversee

• 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

Sovereign wealth funds in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates oversee assets worth more than $4 trillion, with the oil-rich states seeking to make AI a core part of their diversification efforts. — Omar El Chmouri, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026

Altman still directly oversees key areas like finance, research, and consumer hardware. — Alex Heath, Time, 26 Aug. 2026

Shannon Finney / Getty Images Lammon oversees the program serving Aurora and Arapahoe County. — Tori Mason, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026

Daylight and QCode are overseen by former CAA agent Rob Herting and former Brillstein and WME rep Ben Curtis. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026

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