supervise

verb

su·​per·​vise ˈsü-pər-ˌvīz 

supervised; supervising

transitive verb

: to be in charge of : superintend, oversee

supervise a large staff

supervised the ship's daily operations

Synonyms of supervise

• oversee
• handle
• manage

Examples of supervise in a Sentence

The builder supervised the construction of the house.

She supervises a staff of 30 workers.

Recent Examples on the Web

Clerk’s office staff will supervise operations, but students will serve their peers and faculty by checking in voters, processing ballots, and upholding procedures with accuracy and integrity. —Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026

The position reports to the correctional facility senior psychologist or the supervising psychiatric social worker. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado updated February 24, Sacbee.com, 24 Feb. 2026

Frontier, which OpenAI debuted earlier this month, is a system that allows businesses and organizations to build, deploy, supervise, and govern AI agents. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2026

In general, children should always be supervised when using a microwave as temperatures may be hotter than expected with relatively short cook times, stresses Makayla Romboy, MD, pediatric emergency medicine physician at Pediatrix. —Hannah Nwoko, Parents, 23 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Medieval Latin supervisus, past participle of supervidēre, from Latin super- + vidēre to see — more at wit

First Known Use

circa 1645, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for supervise

• advertise
• aggrandize
• agonize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize

Kids Definition

supervise

verb

su·​per·​vise ˈsü-pər-ˌvīz 

supervised; supervising

: superintend, oversee

Etymology

from Latin supervisus, past participle of supervidēre "to oversee," from super- "over, above" and vidēre "to see" — related to vision