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
Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
This new iteration was partly handled by Room40 label boss Lawrence English, who reconstructed the original master tapes and blended them with recent performances by Lockwood and Vanessa Tomlinson, who plays the gong.
—Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025
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
Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
Sun Ra was simultaneously impish and imperious, bossing us with wiggles of his hands.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for boss
Noun
Not many employees working in corporate America have any say in who their boss is.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
This new iteration was partly handled by Room40 label boss Lawrence English, who reconstructed the original master tapes and blended them with recent performances by Lockwood and Vanessa Tomlinson, who plays the gong.
—Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
That’s basically the boss level of the shopping game—and usually requires hours of research.
—Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025
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
Verb
Pop trends For the last several years, girls bossed the pop charts.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
Sun Ra was simultaneously impish and imperious, bossing us with wiggles of his hands.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for boss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boss
Noun
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The crowd includes top business leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook and NVIDIA's Jensen Huang.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Senior defender Peyton Johnson, Elizabeth’s older sister, is Oswego’s other team leader.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Soft white sand, clear waters and excellent surf draw beachgoers to this vast beach.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
30 Apr. 2026
-
This makes buffalo grass an excellent choice for naturally controlling soil erosion.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Staff are on hand 24 hours a day to supervise crafts and games, water sports, reef fishing, cookery classes, crab hunts, and marine biologist excursions.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
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Also, the researchers sometimes caught the Claudes trying to cheat by simply instructing the strong model directly rather than figuring out ways to get the weak teacher to supervise the strong model.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Initially treated as a death by natural causes, the case was later ruled a homicide after an undertaker noticed a knife wound on the back of her neck.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
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Of course, Wall Street is not ruled by individual trading bets.—
Terry Savage,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Flagg edged his former Duke teammate to win the award Monday night after becoming the first rookie since Michael Jordan in 1984-85 to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.—
Schuyler Dixon,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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With Orlando unable to force another turnover the rest of the opening quarter, Detroit led 27-26 after the first 12 minutes of play.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Mentorship opens unexpected doors The shop foreman at Sam Pack encouraged him to take advantage of industry certification opportunities at Dallas College while also pursuing a degree.—
Robbie Owens,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
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Chavez, who worked as a construction foreman at the lab in Los Alamos, New Mexico, disappeared in May 2025.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
First, that is awesome, what a great community.—
Joe Kinsey OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
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It later was immortalized in the awesome painting by the great Norman Rockwell in the 1950s that became a gift to his friend Joyce Hall and remains part of the Hallmark Art Collection.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The county is overseeing design and construction for the cabins project, which is expected to be completed by the summer of 2027.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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According to the Lake County website, the auditor oversees ledgers and records affecting county funds, and oversees duties related to the assessment of property and levy and collection of property taxes, among other roles.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boss. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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