superintendent

American  

[soo-per-in-ten-duhnt, soo-prin-] / ˌsu pər ɪnˈtɛn dənt, ˌsu prɪn- /

noun

1. a person who oversees or directs some work, enterprise, establishment, organization, district, etc.; supervisor.

2. a person who is in charge of maintenance and repairs of an apartment house; custodian.

3. a high-ranking police officer, especially a chief of police or an officer ranking next above an inspector.

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adjective

1. superintending.

superintendent British  

/ ˌsuːpərɪnˈtɛndənt, ˌsuːprɪn- /

noun

1. a person who directs and manages an organization, office, etc

2. (in Britain) a senior police officer higher in rank than an inspector but lower than a chief superintendent

3. (in the US) the head of a police department

4. a caretaker, esp of a block of apartments

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adjective

1. of or relating to supervision; superintending

Etymology

Origin of superintendent

1545–55; < Medieval Latin superintendent- (stem of superintendēns ), present participle of superintendere to superintend; -ent

Example Sentences

But then I met him — my building superintendent — and I noticed he had warm brown eyes that made me feel immediately seen.

From Los Angeles Times

“This is the reality, this is where we are in this country, where we are in this valley,” says the school superintendent afterward.

From Los Angeles Times

He was the building’s superintendent, but that felt too small a word for him.

From Los Angeles Times

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley wrote to officers between the ranks of chief inspector and chief superintendent earlier this week.

From BBC

“You would call him up, and he would talk you off the ledge,” said Paul Kaufman, longtime course superintendent at Prestwick Country Club in Myrtle Beach.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• administrator
• chief
• controller
• curator
• custodian
• director
• inspector
• manager
• supervisor