manager
Pluralmanagers
- 1A person in charge of running a business, shop, department or sports team, responsible for how it works and performs.
Like the conductor of an orchestra, keeping many players working together toward one result.
The manager approved the new budget after reviewing each department's request.
Restaurant managers handle scheduling, supplies, and customer complaints every day.
UsageWhat is run usually comes first (a store manager) or after of (the manager of a hotel).
Note
Phil McNulty's 2013 BBC Sport report calls Bill Shankly Liverpool's legendary manager, where the word means the head coach who picks and runs a football team.
- 2A person who handles the business affairs and career of a performer or athlete, such as a singer, band, actor or boxer, on that client's behalf.
The singer's manager negotiated a recording deal with a major label.
Band managers often take a percentage of their clients' earnings.
UsageUsually with whose manager it is: the band's manager, her manager.
Similaragent, representative
Note
In music the relationship runs the other way round. The manager works for the act rather than over it, guiding its career and business affairs for a commission. That reverses the workplace sense, in which the manager directs others. Here the person being managed is, in effect, the employer.
- 3An application or window designed to let the user control a particular part of the computer system.
Like the dashboard in a car, showing only the controls you need to run one system.
The package manager downloaded and installed every dependency automatically.
When the screen froze, she opened the task manager and shut down the program that had stopped responding.
UsageUsually the second half of a compound, after what it controls: file manager, task manager.
Practice
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Origin
Formed from the verb "manage" combined with the suffix "-er", meaning one who manages.
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Manager derives from the verb manage with the suffix -er. fr.wiktionary.org
- The formation means one who manages. en.wiktionary.org