supervisor
Pluralsupervisors
- 1Someone whose job is to watch over the work of a person or team and keep things running.
Like a team captain who makes sure everyone is doing their part.
The supervisor checked that everyone finished their tasks on time.
Each shift has a supervisor who helps workers solve problems.
Similarmanager, overseer, boss, foreman, superintendent
Oppositesubordinate
Note
- 2Someone who watches a person to make sure they follow the rules set for them.
Like a referee who makes sure players follow the rules of the game.
The exam supervisor made sure no one looked at a phone.
A supervisor watched the workers to check they followed safety rules.
Similarmonitor, invigilator, proctor
Note
- 3In some US states, an elected member of the group that governs a county.
Like a town council member, but for a whole county.
Voters elected a new supervisor to represent their county.
The county supervisor voted to pay for road repairs.
Note
- 4A computer program that controls and manages other programs.
Like a manager who makes sure every worker keeps doing their job.
The supervisor restarts any program that crashes.
A supervisor keeps all the background programs running smoothly.
Note
Practice
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Origin
This word has been used since the 1400s. It comes from Latin, made from words meaning 'over' and 'see': so a supervisor is someone who watches over.