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

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as in leads

to serve as leader of bossed the entire gang of electricians on the construction project

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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

Employees everywhere else depend on their bosses’ goodwill. —

Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 14 June 2026 In those years, neighborhood bosses used the literacy test and English-only ballots to hold onto their power and keep Puerto Ricans from voting for minority candidates. —

Robert Polner, New York Daily News, 13 June 2026 Two differing criminal factions want a load of cocaine, but when a poor farmer named Kaalayan (Guru Somasundaram) gets wind of it, his life briefly entangles with the crime bosses, resulting in a bloody final showdown and a delightful twist ending. —

Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026 After his bosses declined to acquire a nearby copper mine, Daly bought it himself, which became the foundation of Anaconda Copper, one of the largest mining companies of the 20th century. —

Alex Knapp, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026 Of course, Boutros had (and has) bosses in Washington, including the one in the White House, who also saw this prosecution in political terms, at least in terms of its importance. —

The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026 But the bosses might fire people first and answer questions later. —

Ann Larson, Time, 11 June 2026 Watch for tension with bosses, clients or collaborators who want control. —

Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026 Above the factory floor, the big bosses determined our production goals for the day, as usual. —

Literary Hub, 8 June 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

Fried’s statement to the Herald comes amid warnings from a growing chorus of political leaders that Wasserman Schultz’s decision — and the state party’s silence about it — could have ripple effects across the ballot in November.

— Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026
The boy’s family and county leaders are renewing their plea for witnesses to come forward, saying justice for a child lost to senseless street violence is long overdue.

— Seamus Bozeman Follow, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026