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

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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

Our conversation is also perfectly timed to Mohammed’s latest role in George Kay’s slick, sexy War, which landed a two-season order from Sky bosses. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2026 Instead, agency bosses allowed the company to restart operations without consequence. — Nick Bowlin, ProPublica, 27 Oct. 2026 In a recent interview, the television host had some words for his former bosses. — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026 Alex Pretti died at the hands of federal agents and their bosses continue to hide evidence. — ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026 The familyâs legal team filed complaints targeting Iranian officials who bankrolled Hamas, slamming the ICC for double standards and demanding arrest warrants for the regime bosses backing the atrocity. — Staff, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Kyrie Irving’s view of the future NBA NBA commissioner Adam Silver was the first of the major sports bosses in North America to explore, lobby for and ultimately embrace gambling. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2026 In other instances, loan officers are being pressured by their bosses to convince people to refi. — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026 That dustup is typically followed by a defense in Puck’s media newsletter, the reflexively anti-rank-and-file outlet where some media bosses and spokespeople go to air grievances about their unruly staff. — semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026

Verb

What compelled the British filmmaker to sell his wares to DC Studios bosses James Gunn and Peter Safran as the potential helmer of Clayface was a phrase coined by original screenwriter Mike Flanagan. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026 Summey first joined Warner Bros as SVP Communications in January 2024 and was later named Head of Communications reporting to Motion Picture bosses Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026 No harm, no foul — as long as the commission bosses back the changes, Zelden said. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bosses

Noun

State elections officials, other state leaders, voting rights advocates and election experts all cheered the ruling.

— Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
When a major renovation of Northeast High School appeared at risk, residents and local leaders spoke up.

— Tim Lonergan, Sun Sentinel, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of leaders

Verb

Although labs such as DeepSeek and Moonshot AI are private, the state supervises them at every stage and, increasingly, finances them.

— NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
Request the treating physician’s name and qualifications, then ask who performs each stage and how the physician supervises the team.

— Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of supervises

Verb

Brown previously served as chairman, but caucus rules state that seniority resets if a senator leaves and then is reelected.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 Oct. 2026
Today, the half-boot Oxford rules supreme, but Derbies and Brogues are also quite popular with both men and women.

— Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of rules

Verb

Macron can’t seek a third consecutive term, and far-right leader Marine Le Pen leads polling for the first round of the presidential election on April 18.

— Thomas Adamson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
Cooper has led wire-to-wire over Republican opponent Michael Whatley, maintaining wide polling and fundraising leads and forcing key GOP super PACs to pause spending in the race to focus elsewhere.

— Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 26 Oct. 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 nation needs an ample supply for semiconductors, quantum and super computing, and superconducting magnets, added Robertson, who oversees the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Haugen oversees private capital investments, mergers and acquisitions at the family office and is also the chief investment officer of its spinout firm River1 Asset Management.

— Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of oversees

Verb

While Boise officials decide zoning and land use, ACHD governs local streets, and the Idaho Transportation Department controls State Street itself, legally a portion of State Highway 44.

— Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 16 Oct. 2026
With different-sized bubbles, the experiment showed that the size of the largest bubble governs the flow direction.

— Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of governs

Verb

The Federal Arbitration Act commands arbitration awards receive high deference and can only be vacated in limited circumstances, such as when the arbitrator engaged in fraud.

— Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2026
For brand strategists, that points to a bifurcated market where prestige equity still commands a premium but messaging around resourcefulness and value is no longer a down-market cue.

— Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026