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
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Recent Examples of boss
Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Troy Kotsur, a deaf actor who performs in sign language and who won an Oscar in 2022 for CODA, comes closest as the mob boss Mancuso.
—Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 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
Alice Burton, Vulture, 28 July 2025
Ali Larter [who plays Thornton’s feisty ex-wife] bursts through the room wearing half a sarong and starts bossing me around.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for boss
Noun
Fans have pointed to the former Big Machine label boss, who oversaw Swift’s early career and later clashed with her over ownership of her masters, as the likely target of this fiery track.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Troy Kotsur, a deaf actor who performs in sign language and who won an Oscar in 2022 for CODA, comes closest as the mob boss Mancuso.
—Andrew Bernard, The Washington Examiner, 3 Oct. 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
Bertha sits down with Gladys and finds out that Hector and Sarah’s parents died when Hector was young, and Sarah has been bossing him around ever since.
—Alice Burton, Vulture, 28 July 2025
Ali Larter [who plays Thornton’s feisty ex-wife] bursts through the room wearing half a sarong and starts bossing me around.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for boss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boss
Noun
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The pace of change described in this new research may be the hardest challenge for business leaders.—
Geoff Colvin,
Fortune,
10 Oct. 2025
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On Thursday, city leaders, friends, family and former colleagues spoke about the importance of Morrow’s work for the Black community and San Diego.—
Maura Fox,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Bader was excellent early Saturday, notching a sacrifice fly to drive in Realmuto and hustling to right-center for a diving catch in the fifth.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Both are excellent places for birding, boating, fishing, hiking, and finding a little peace and quiet.—
Lisa Cericola,
Southern Living,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Some genres may be extremely violent and gory, so parents may want to consider supervising their children's viewing of films or avoid them altogether.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Oct. 2025
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Advertisement Concerns about damage to parks Former park officials and advocates have expressed fear that protected land will be damaged by visitors if sites are left partially open while thousands of workers are furloughed or fired, and therefore absent from supervising lands.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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On Saturday, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party tapped Sanae Takaichi, positioning the conservative lawmaker to become Japan’s first female prime minister.—
Danny Bakst,
Fortune,
6 Oct. 2025
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The judge did not rule on the facts of the case, but rather that the suit should have been filed in New Zealand and not Wisconsin.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As digitization and agentic AI reshape work from customer service to customs, DHL is also upskilling people for digital roles and training supervisors to lead the transition.—
Samuel Burke,
Fortune,
9 Oct. 2025
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Advertisement An investigation led by the Guardian found in September that out of the 6,000 Palestinians from Gaza held by Israel since the Hamas terror attack two years ago, only one quarter were held on suspicion of militant links.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Former town employee John Nikoloff, a former working foreman for the municipal water company, said the town typically flushes hydrants twice a year, in the spring and again in the fall.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
6 Oct. 2025
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Melchor was a foreman on a sugarcane plantation, and Luisa was a laundress.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Our 6-year-old reviewer thinks her clothes are awesome, while her parent likes that this doll encourages imaginative play.—
Pamela Brill,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
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These things look freaking awesome!—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Elise Christopher oversaw the high school longitudinal studies at the National Center for Education Statistics, part of the Institute of Education Sciences, until she was laid off in March along with dozens of her colleagues.—
Carmela Guaglianone,
NPR,
7 Oct. 2025
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For a discovery to count, the AI has to oversee the entire project, from hypothesis generation to experiment design to data analysis.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boss. Accessed 11 Oct. 2025.
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