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

Mayor Daniel Sazonov, elected in June, oversees the largest city in a country that tops world happiness rankings. —Kristen Edgreen Kaufman, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

It is being overseen by Judge Aileen Cannon, appointed by the president during his first term in office. —Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025

The India-Middle East-Western Europe cable is run by another consortium overseen by Alcatel Submarine Networks. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2025

Fox oversees Acorn’s programming. —Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 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