BOSSES Synonyms: 125 Similar and Opposite Words

bosses 1 of 2

noun

plural of boss

as in leaders

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bosses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of boss

as in supervises

to be in charge of she bossed that project for years, until she was promoted again

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in rules

to exercise authority or power over bossed the entire job site for a year

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in leads

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 bosses

Noun

Also let go were correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega — and soon after, Scott Pelley, after a tense confrontation with his bosses over the changes. — Jocelyn Noveck, Fortune, 29 July 2026 In fact, 21 of the NHL’s 32 current coaches served as AHL bench bosses before making the jump. — Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 27 July 2026 The Marvel bosses, naturally, came to dinner prepared with ideas on how to continue Steve’s story. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 26 July 2026 This is an agency with a history of billing scandals, of union bosses bullying pushover pols, of robust pensions and sweetheart health and dental plans that require little or no payment by employees. — Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026 Nominate it as one of America's Top Workplaces While bosses are often focused on tasks, deadlines and hitting key performance indicators, leaders take a broader view of the work. — Alyshia Hull, USA Today, 24 July 2026 The reality is, whether his bosses at the Spanish Football Federation knew it or not, De la Fuente’s profile fit that of other successful international coaches. — Chris Evans, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 By the mid-nineteenth century the Hawaiian throne, and the British, were both losing power as the growing cartel of US plantation bosses aggressively sought sway. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026 Behind the scenes, Gordon managed to convince his bosses to fork out the extra money for the production. — Sergio Pereira, Space.com, 19 July 2026

Verb

No harm, no foul — as long as the commission bosses back the changes, Zelden said. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026 Dano and Collette joined co-stars Abigail Breslin and Greg Kinnear and their director bosses Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris at the screening. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bosses

Noun

City leaders say the buildings are safe and that data submitted to Florida regulators were miscategorized.

— David Smiley, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026
And everywhere there are photographs — of governors and lawmakers, local leaders and beloved relatives.

— Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 30 July 2026

Definition of leaders

Verb

The State Board of Education supervises public K–12 education across the state, overseeing educational interests in Kansas.

— Zuri Primos July 26, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026
David Smith, who supervises the district’s aedes crew, said his team has received an increasing number of service requests for day-biting mosquitoes within the neighborhood.

— Alula Alderson, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of supervises

Verb

The language of the ethics rules bans public officials from using their name, image, likeness or official position for digital assets.

— Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
The avenue lies within the city’s original historic district, where preservation rules tightly regulate new construction and alterations.

— Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026

Definition of rules

Verb

All guests are greeted with a swanky, industrial-chic entrance, high ceilings, and a spiral staircase that leads down to the front desk check-in.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 28 July 2026
Washington leads the National Women’s Soccer League with 33 points, while Summit FC sits 11th in the league standings.

— Nate Peterson, Denver Post, 27 July 2026

Definition of leads

Noun

Customers were very important; workers, foremen.

— Michael Kilian, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
For years after that, TCU alums who had served as Ranch Week foremen or queen would proudly include it on resumes, in professional biographies or when running for office.

— Matt Leclercq, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025

Definition of foremen

Verb

The board sets education policy, maintains academic standards, and oversees educational licenses and the accreditation system.

— Zuri Primos July 26, Kansas City Star, 26 July 2026
Henry Gardner, the director of a body that oversees the Coliseum’s affairs, said Saturday that Oakland Roots SC had missed its deadline a day earlier to make good on a defaulted lease payment.

— Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 26 July 2026

Definition of oversees

Verb

Yet none of these command the soul Whose purpose governs every goal.

— Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 July 2026
In this model, the LLM should become the adaptive reasoning layer, while deterministic infrastructure governs orchestration, workflows, operational memory, compliance, execution logic and outcome tracking.

— Naresh Prajapati, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of governs

Verb

This powertrain is only available with AWD, the SX trim level, and the X-Line package, which gives the car some glossy black exterior accents and bigger wheels, and commands a more substantial though still competitive $32,790 MSRP.

— Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026
And the view of the northern Rockies commands equal attention with the headliners.

— Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 21 July 2026