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

Today’s IndyCar bosses could use a bit of the creativity that spawned the PPG Pace Cars. — Stephen Edelstein, The Drive, 1 Nov. 2026 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

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

Beijing has hosted a flurry of global leaders this year, while major economies have struggled to slow a surge of imports from China.

— Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
In post-mortem reviews of the midterm elections in which Democrats swiped control of both chambers of Congress, several GOP leaders pinpointed the blame on the Iran war, including Vice President JD Vance.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 5 Nov. 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

Nick Brown, Washington’s attorney general, leads a group of Democratic state officials and voting rights advocates who have been planning how to respond if, indeed, there is real federal interference.

— Jen Fifield, ProPublica, 2 Nov. 2026
McDavid is the fastest player in league history to 30 assists, leads all scorers with 39 points and is on pace to join Wayne Gretzky as the only players to reach 200 in a season.

— CBS New York Team, CBS News, 2 Nov. 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 Organization and Guidance Department, the party’s most powerful agency, oversees appointments, inspections, and discipline everywhere—in Pyongyang as well as rural villages.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
According to Monopol, authorities are now looking for witnesses, while the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD), which oversees the city’s state art collections, has increased security at the museum.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of oversees

Verb

The music as a whole seems to reflect all of this moment-to-moment action at a larger structural level, shifting from one overlapping movement to the next according to the same fractal geometry that governs the beat.

— Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 31 Oct. 2026
The glue that binds them together is a belief that government is best that governs the very least.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Oct. 2026