supervise

verb

su·​per·​vise ˈsü-pər-ˌvīz 

supervised; supervising

transitive verb

: to be in charge of : superintend, oversee

supervise a large staff

supervised the ship's daily operations

Synonyms

• oversee
• handle
• manage

Examples of supervise in a Sentence

The builder supervised the construction of the house.

She supervises a staff of 30 workers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Sheriff’s officials said the mother was restrained from contacting her children and was only allowed to have supervised visits. —Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 27 Oct. 2025

Hoban supervised construction of the porticoes on the north and south sides of the building that Latrobe originally designed in 1807. —Bart Jansen, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025

The children's parents were simply socializing like normal, the man wrote, not supervising the kids at all. —Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 24 Oct. 2025

There are currently three officers and one supervising sergeant assigned to Natomas Unified, according to the Police Department. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin supervisus, past participle of supervidēre, from Latin super- + vidēre to see — more at wit

First Known Use

circa 1645, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supervise

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

supervise

verb

su·​per·​vise ˈsü-pər-ˌvīz 

supervised; supervising

: superintend, oversee

Etymology

from Latin supervisus, past participle of supervidēre "to oversee," from super- "over, above" and vidēre "to see" — related to vision