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 of supervise

• 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

The twist is that this room comes from someone else’s house, someone else’s taste, someone else’s desire to supervise what Ruby might become. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

Under the agreement, Carpentersville is responsible for supervising detainees, medical care, medical transportation and other expenses but won’t be charged for using the East Dundee jail. — Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

According to the Victim Notification System, upon her release, Holmes will reside in Austin, Texas, and be supervised by the United States Probation Office there. — Taylor Dunn, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

Unable to continue normal operations, Nodus entered a liquidation process supervised by Puerto Rico’s Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 22 Sep. 2026

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
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

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