supervise
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
-
to direct or oversee the performance or operation of
-
to watch over so as to maintain order, etc
Usage
What does supervise mean? Supervise means to oversee, watch over, and provide direction for someone or something.You can supervise a project or process as it’s happening, but most of the time the word refers to supervising people, especially parents supervising their children or a manager or supervisor supervising their employees.The noun form of supervise is supervision. Someone being supervised is said to be under supervision. When it’s used in the context of adults watching children, the word often appears in the phrases parental supervision and adult supervision. Children or other people who can’t be left alone are said to need constant supervision. When they are left alone, they’re said to be unsupervised.The adjective form supervisory describes things that involve supervision, such as in the phrases supervisory role and supervisory capacity. Example: The key to supervising your employees effectively is giving them enough space to do their jobs, instead of constantly standing over their shoulders.
Other Word Forms
- nonsupervising adjective
- presupervise verb (used with object)
- quasi-supervised adjective
- supervision noun
- unsupervised adjective
- well-supervised adjective
Etymology
Origin of supervise
First recorded in 1580–90; from Medieval Latin supervīsus “overseen,” past participle of supervidēre “to oversee,” from super- super- + vidēre “to see”; wit 2
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Leah hired nurses, supervised her household servants, and continued to schedule séances for New Yorkers willing to pay for the privilege of seeing an original Fox sister.
From Literature
In response, Tesla stopped using the term “Autopilot” in its marketing materials and added the term “supervised” to describe its Full Self-Driving mode.
From Los Angeles Times
She said it meant Lowe was "answerable to the House" about the allegations, and that it was not "the constitutional role of the court to supervise or interfere with that".
From BBC
Still, the system needs to be supervised by human drivers.
From Barron's
Scott Tomlin from Virginia said his son, who supervises supplies coming aboard the Ford, doesn’t like the food on the carrier.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
