overseer

[ oh-ver-see-er, -seer ]

noun

1. a person who oversees; supervisor; manager:

   the overseer of a plantation.

   Synonyms: director, boss, head, chief

overseer

/ ˈəʊvəˌsiːə /

noun

1. Also called (less commonly)overlooker a person who oversees others, esp workmen
2. history short for overseer of the poor; a minor official of a parish attached to the workhouse or poorhouse

Other Words From

• sub·over·seer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of overseer¹

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; oversee, -er ¹

Example Sentences

But critics on both sides of the aisle say that far from just advocating for restraint, she has embraced talking points from militaristic autocrats like Assad and Putin, and as overseer of 18 spy agencies would undermine national security and the international order.

From Salon

Trump has said that he will make Musk the overseer of “government efficiency.”

From Salon

Johannes’ overseer is no fan of “metaphysical rubbish,” which is where the young man’s energies are directed, particularly toward the universal wave function that suggests the existence of multiple realities.

From Los Angeles Times

As the overseer of election administration and procedures, Griswold has received nearly 1,000 violent threats in the last year, ranging from physically threatening and sexually explicit messages, to graphic threats to her life and her family.

From Salon

Unbelievably, the children’s version also keeps in “Little Girls,” a solo for Miss Hannigan, the cruel and drunken overseer of the orphanage, featuring such lines as “If I wring little necks/ Surely I will get an acquittal” and “Send a flood, send the flu/ Anything that you can do to little girls.”

From Slate

Related Words

• superintendent
• supervisor