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 additional $10 million the department is requesting would pay for two supervising attorneys, 25 attorneys, 3 senior legal analysts and one associate governmental program analyst, the request says. —Sacbee.com, 23 Mar. 2026

The lawsuit also claims that the city failed to properly hire, supervise, train and retain VonBank. —Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 23 Mar. 2026

Civil lawsuit alleges facility failed to screen, supervise and restrict the suspect’s access despite prior warnings about concerning behavior. —Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department will supervise the burn along with Fort Worth’s Parks Department, and the Fort Worth and Eagle Mountain fire departments. —Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Mar. 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
• 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