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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in supervises
to be in charge of
she bossed that project for years, until she was promoted again
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in rules
to exercise authority or power over
bossed the entire job site for a year
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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
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Recent Examples of bosses
Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
The boys are back in town, and two of the three or four biggest guys in the recording business, Bruno Mars and Harry Styles, are coincidentally releasing albums on back-to-back weekends, as if teaming up to storm the barricades mostly held in recent years by pop’s girl bosses.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Payton, of course, did not always agree with his bosses.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2026
The uber-bosses at Bank of America or Goldman Sachs averaged 21% hikes in compensation last year.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2026
Taken together, the data suggests higher pay for more flexible work isn’t a result of remote employees successfully proving to their bosses that their work-from-home practices or productivity warrants higher pay.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
Deadly intra-cartel battles have previously followed the killings or arrests of other crime bosses in Mexico.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … 'TOTAL CHAOS' — Anderson Cooper's '60 Minutes' exit reportedly leaves CBS News bosses blindsided.
—FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Mostly, what’s needed is for condo bosses to live up to their promises.
—Dave Lieber, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Noun
The crowd included American Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti and two of White’s former bosses in ACC commissioner Jim Phillips and Clemson athletic director Graham Neff, along with university staff, donors and many others.
—Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026
The boys are back in town, and two of the three or four biggest guys in the recording business, Bruno Mars and Harry Styles, are coincidentally releasing albums on back-to-back weekends, as if teaming up to storm the barricades mostly held in recent years by pop’s girl bosses.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Feb. 2026
Payton, of course, did not always agree with his bosses.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 27 Feb. 2026
The uber-bosses at Bank of America or Goldman Sachs averaged 21% hikes in compensation last year.
—Peter Bart, Deadline, 26 Feb. 2026
Taken together, the data suggests higher pay for more flexible work isn’t a result of remote employees successfully proving to their bosses that their work-from-home practices or productivity warrants higher pay.
—Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 26 Feb. 2026
Deadly intra-cartel battles have previously followed the killings or arrests of other crime bosses in Mexico.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … 'TOTAL CHAOS' — Anderson Cooper's '60 Minutes' exit reportedly leaves CBS News bosses blindsided.
—FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
Mostly, what’s needed is for condo bosses to live up to their promises.
—Dave Lieber, Dallas Morning News, 19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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 in El Cajon shot down an initial proposal that would have allowed up to four marijuana dispensaries in the city.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Feb. 2026
-
With nine prominent Democrats in the field, this has led to concerns among party leaders that the Democratic candidates may splinter the vote and the two Republicans could advance to the November ballot.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Jack Lang had been summoned to report on Sunday to the Foreign Ministry, which supervises the Arab World Institute, a cultural and research institution that promotes understanding of the Arab world.—
Reuters 13 hr ago,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Rodriguez works at an after-school program in Orange County and supervises third graders.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Party rules required candidates to receive 20-30% of the vote in a congressional or legislative district and statewide in order to qualify for delegates.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The will of the people is what rules our land, bound by the limits of the Constitution.—
Julian Baron,
Baltimore Sun,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Trying to do what your phone can’t Ziad Asghar, who leads Qualcomm’s wearables and personal AI devices division, said Qualcomm saw the need for a new chip after companies approached them with new gadget concepts.—
Lisa Eadicicco,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
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The visit is also an opportunity to model activities that parents can do at home with their kids, such as reading a book aloud, said Carneshia Edwards, who leads the hospital's kindergarten readiness team.—
MAKIYA SEMINERA THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
Verb
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Lawmakers will have to vote on legislation that would give members of the Indiana National Guard police powers and a bill that reworks who oversees the operational aspects of all public schools within Indianapolis Public Schools boundaries.—
Kaitlin Lange,
IndyStar,
25 Feb. 2026
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Kalshi also said the case was reported to regulators at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, which oversees prediction markets like Kalshi.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
United States law governs this Contest.—
CBS News Philadelphia Staff,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
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On March 10, Tempe residents will have their say on three City Council seats, but more is at stake in this year's campaign than who governs the traditionally liberal city.—
Lauren De Young,
AZCentral.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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While his velocity commands much of the attention, Miller’s focus going into 2026 is on consistency.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
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As a nuclear power, Pakistan commands a sophisticated defense apparatus comprising an army, navy, air force, and marine corps.—
Sophia Saifi,
CNN Money,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bosses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bosses. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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