Synonyms of bosses

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

• leaders
• foremen
• chiefs
• managers
• masters
• captains
• commanders
• directors
• heads
• supervisors
• administrators
• lords
• executives
• superintendents
• overseers
• honchos
• taskmasters
• jefes
• kingpins
• headmen
• helmsmen
• presidents
• boss men
• governors
• principals
• generals
• superiors
• rulers
• employers
• stewards
• kings
• higher-ups
• mistresses
• overlords
• bigwigs
• skippers
• magnates
• princes
• barons
• directresses
• leadmen
• potentates
• sovereigns
• hierarchs
• dominators
• straw bosses
• moguls
• czars
• figureheads
• standard-bearers
• tsars
• micromanagers
• big guns
• coleaders
• tzars
• gangers
• top guns
• big cheeses
• top dogs
• sovrans
• gaffers
• co-leaders
• subchiefs
• subdirectors
• coheads
• sub-chiefs
• co-heads
• sub-directors

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• subordinates
• subjects
• dependents
• juniors
• secondaries
• underlings
• inferiors

bosses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of boss

1

as in supervises

to be in charge of

she bossed that project for years, until she was promoted again

Synonyms & Similar Words

• supervises
• oversees
• handles
• heads
• commands
• manages
• captains
• steers
• orders
• guides
• watches over
• controls
• quarterbacks
• directs
• runs
• overlooks
• superintends
• shows
• rides herd on
• calls the tune (for)
• monitors
• calls the shots (of)
• shepherds
• rules
• administers
• presides (over)
• reigns
• governs

2

as in rules

to exercise authority or power over

bossed the entire job site for a year

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rules
• governs
• controls
• captains
• dictates
• commands
• dominates
• presides (over)
• domineers
• manages
• masters
• leads
• heads
• sways
• oversees
• administers
• micromanages
• supervises
• regulates
• reigns (over)
• directs
• conducts
• oppresses
• conquers
• tyrannizes
• superintends
• lords (it over)
• subjugates
• subdues

3

as in leads

to serve as leader of

bossed the entire gang of electricians on the construction project

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leads
• commands
• captains
• heads
• controls
• spearheads
• oversees
• dominates
• manages
• directs
• supervises
• handles
• governs
• regulates
• runs
• superintends

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• yields (to)
• submits (to)
• follows
• serves
• obeys
• complies (with)
• bows (to)
• defers (to)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bosses

Noun

The police don’t seem to know whether to go with what the stewards are recommending or what their bosses have set out. —James Pearce, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025

The Amazon gift bestsellers span little luxuries that make easy gifts for women, practical picks that double as gifts for men, and culinary crowd-pleasers for bosses or housewarmings. —Malia Griggs, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2025

Bank bosses in the UK are calling for policy stability. —Ian King, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025

Being the commissioner of any league is a hard job, but with WNBA job comes with extra challenges—including bosses at the NBA and a divide among ownership between those with billions who want to step on the gas and those who have been there for years, but don’t have endlessly deep pockets. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025

Nonetheless, it was widely seen as an opening move that had other feds scrambling for hard answers from bosses. —Philip Elliott, Time, 1 Oct. 2025

Amid all that chaos, the Chicago Fire bosses just couldn’t help but end the premiere with one more #Stellaride twist. —Claire Franken, TVLine, 1 Oct. 2025

By practicing toxic positivity, some bosses perpetuate dysfunctional environments without addressing the root causes. —Mita Mallick, Big Think, 30 Sep. 2025

Then, there’s easily a dozen or more items like plants, minerals, and literal trash that can be found on runs, mined from beating bosses, or farmed in the Crossroads. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025