as in leader
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do
every morning the boss hands out a list of top-priority tasks
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
slang
as in excellent
of the very best kind
that's a really boss stereo you've got
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to supervise
to be in charge of
she bossed that project for years, until she was promoted again
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to rule
to exercise authority or power over
bossed the entire job site for a year
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to lead
to serve as leader of
bossed the entire gang of electricians on the construction project
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of boss
Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025
In his first interview since the tragic events in May, Cacique, a Spanish nickname given to a local boss, said the turncoats hoped to receive a reward for the capture of Robert Colina, whose alias was Pantera, Spanish for panther.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Paul Tassi, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2021
Binning notes that Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of the Niles area, a former Traficant aide who won his ex-boss' congressional seat, was re-elected Tuesday by his smallest-ever margin, defeating GOP former state legislator Christina Hagan by 7.5 percentage points.
—Sabrina Eaton, cleveland, 6 Nov. 2020
Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Mars in Libra opposes Saturn retrograde in Aries and harmonizes with Uranus in Gemini, giving us the strength to boss up.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boss
Noun
Former high-ranking employees have quit the sheriff’s office, often in public fashion, and accused him of being a vindictive and narcissistic boss.
—Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025
In his first interview since the tragic events in May, Cacique, a Spanish nickname given to a local boss, said the turncoats hoped to receive a reward for the capture of Robert Colina, whose alias was Pantera, Spanish for panther.
—Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
This excludes things like putting in legendaries for end of mission rewards or taking them out of non-boss chests.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2021
Binning notes that Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of the Niles area, a former Traficant aide who won his ex-boss' congressional seat, was re-elected Tuesday by his smallest-ever margin, defeating GOP former state legislator Christina Hagan by 7.5 percentage points.
—Sabrina Eaton, cleveland, 6 Nov. 2020
Verb
Winning every one of his duels, creating one chance, delivering eight crosses and registering three successful tackles is a neat summary of how Cardona bossed the left flank pretty much on his own.
—Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Mars in Libra opposes Saturn retrograde in Aries and harmonizes with Uranus in Gemini, giving us the strength to boss up.
—Lisa Stardust, Refinery29, 5 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for boss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boss
Noun
-
The president worked with Gifford Pinchot—the US Forest Service’s first leader—on a publicity campaign in this realm, and came to appoint a commission in 1903 that held public hearings and investigations the president knew would grab headlines.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Sustainable transformation isn’t achieved by a mandate; instead, it’s driven by leaders who focus on people first.—
Feon Ang,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Thus far, Arsenal’s excellent form has relegated the injuries to a subplot.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
The carbon nanofiber provides mechanical stability, abundant pore channels, and excellent electrolyte wettability, while the cobalt sites catalyze the adsorption and conversion of polysulfides.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The boards for the district develop and approve policies for the schools; hire, supervise and evaluate the superintendent; and approve budgets set by the superintendent.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Laurie Orlando, who has supervised talent recruitment and strategy at CBS News for nearly a decade, is leaving the Paramount Skydance operation — the latest of the news division’s senior executives to exit as the parent company overhauls its operations under an iconoclastic new editor in chief.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The officials were fooled, ruling it incomplete.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Two federal judges ruled on October 31 that the administration needed to at least partially fund the benefits using an agency contingency fund of about $5 billion.—
Leah Douglas,
USA Today,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The work, led by Professor Zijian Li, confirms that the synergistic effect of K+ and C3N4 co-intercalation significantly reduces the electrostatic interaction between Zn2+ and the [VOn] layer, improves the specific capacity and cycling stability.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Nov. 2025
-
More on the science behind the portfolio diet A few small studies led by Jenkins in 2003, including the trial that introduced the diet to the world, found an association between following the portfolio diet and a lower risk of heart disease and stroke.—
Renée Onque,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Her husband joined the company six years ago, working long hours as a foreman and project estimator.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Umanzor Molina, 39, a construction foreman who worked on projects at Miami International Airport, was detained in a day care parking lot in Aventura, Florida.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The guys are awesome; everybody’s been super welcoming.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
And what Moana has represented is a really awesome global embrace of Polynesian culture, our values and our qualities and our pride and our mana.—
Scott Feinberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Now, after Slaven failed to appear for a new hearing start date, the official overseeing the case has accepted the allegations against Slaven as true.—
Darcie Moran,
Freep.com,
11 Nov. 2025
-
All of her work and coverage decisions are overseen solely by Journal Sentinel editors.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boss. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share