Standard Lemma guide

overseer

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈəʊvəˌsiːə(ɹ)/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: OW1 V ER0 S IY1 ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

One who oversees or supervises.

The manager of a plantation of slaves.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

One who oversees or supervises.

An officer responsible for the care of the poor, making out lists of voters and those who had not paid taxes, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A critic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A bishop.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

Qualifier: Tyndale Bible; also puristic; Tyndale Bible; also puristic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a person who directs and manages an organization

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: superintendent

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: supervisor

Narrower terms: ramrod, school superintendent

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English oversee Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Proto-Italic *-āzios Latin -āriusnom. Latin -āriusbor. Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz Proto-West Germanic *-ārī Old English -ere Middle English -ere English -er English overseer From oversee + -er.

Across languages

Translations

93 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: مُشْرِف (mušrif) — one who oversees
  • Arabic: مُشْرِفَة (mušrifa) — one who oversees
  • Armenian: հսկիչ (hskičʻ) — one who oversees
  • Armenian: վերակացու (verakacʻu) — one who oversees
  • Azerbaijani: nəzarətçi — one who oversees
  • Belarusian: нагля́дчык (nahljádčyk) — one who oversees
  • Belarusian: нагля́дчыца (nahljádčyca) — one who oversees
  • Bulgarian: надзира́тел (nadzirátel) — one who oversees
  • Bulgarian: надзира́телка (nadzirátelka) — one who oversees
  • Chinese Mandarin: 監督者 /监督者 (jiāndūzhě) — one who oversees
  • Chinese Mandarin: 監工 /监工 (jiāngōng) — one who oversees
  • Czech: dozorce — one who oversees
  • Czech: dozorkyně — one who oversees
  • Danish: opsynsmand — one who oversees
  • Dutch: opzichter — one who oversees
  • Egyptian: m-r:H_SPACE (jmj-r) — one who oversees
  • Estonian: ülevaataja — one who oversees
  • Finnish: työnjohtaja — one who oversees
  • Finnish: valvoja — one who oversees
  • French: contremaître — one who oversees
  • French: chef — one who oversees
  • Georgian: ზედამხედველი (zedamxedveli) — one who oversees
  • German: Aufseher — one who oversees
  • German: Aufseherin — one who oversees
  • Greek: επόπτης (epóptis) — one who oversees
  • Greek: εργοδηγός (ergodigós) — one who oversees
  • Greek: επιστάτης (epistátis) — one who oversees
  • Greek: επιτηρητής (epitiritís) — one who oversees
  • Ancient Greek: ἐπόπτης (epóptēs) — one who oversees
  • Ancient Greek: ἔφορος (éphoros) — one who oversees
  • Ancient Greek: ἐπίσκοπος (epískopos) — one who oversees
  • Hindi: पर्यवेक्षक (paryavekṣak) — one who oversees
  • Hungarian: felügyelő — one who oversees
  • Hungarian: munkafelügyelő — one who oversees
  • Irish: feighlí — one who oversees
  • Irish: maor — one who oversees
  • Italian: ispettore — one who oversees
  • Italian: capoccia — one who oversees
  • Italian: supervisore — one who oversees
  • Italian: organizzatore — one who oversees
  • Italian: curatore — one who oversees
  • Japanese: 監督者 (kantokusha) — one who oversees
  • Korean: 감독자 (gamdokja) — one who oversees
  • Latin: curator — one who oversees
  • Latin: curatrix — one who oversees
  • Latin: praefectus — one who oversees
  • Latin: praepositus — one who oversees
  • Latvian: uzraugs — one who oversees
  • Lithuanian: prižiūrėtojas — one who oversees
  • Macedonian: надгле́дувач (nadgléduvač) — one who oversees
  • Macedonian: на́дзирач (nádzirač) — one who oversees
  • Macedonian: на́дзорник (nádzornik) — one who oversees
  • Iranian Persian: سَرْپَرَسْت (sarparast) — one who oversees
  • Iranian Persian: ناظِر (nâzer) — one who oversees
  • Plautdietsch: Äwasechta — one who oversees
  • Polish: nadzorca — one who oversees
  • Polish: nadzorczyni — one who oversees
  • Portuguese: feitor — one who oversees
  • Romanian: supervizor — one who oversees
  • Russian: надзира́тель (nadzirátelʹ) — one who oversees
  • Russian: надзира́тельница (nadzirátelʹnica) — one who oversees
  • Russian: надсмо́трщик (nadsmótrščik) — one who oversees
  • Russian: надсмо́трщица (nadsmótrščica) — one who oversees
  • Serbo-Croatian: на́дгледнӣк — one who oversees
  • Serbo-Croatian: на́дзо̄рнӣк — one who oversees
  • Serbo-Croatian: nádglednīk — one who oversees
  • Serbo-Croatian: nádzōrnīk — one who oversees
  • Sikkimese: སྐུལ་མཁན (skul mkhan) — one who oversees
  • Slovak: dozorca — one who oversees
  • Slovak: dozorkyňa — one who oversees
  • Slovene: nadzornik — one who oversees
  • Slovene: nadzornica — one who oversees
  • Spanish: capataz — one who oversees
  • Spanish: sobrestante — one who oversees
  • Spanish: caporal — one who oversees
  • Spanish: caporalista — one who oversees
  • Swahili: msimamizi — one who oversees
  • Swedish: förman — one who oversees
  • Tajik: назоратчӣ (nazoratči) — one who oversees
  • Tajik: нозир (nozir) — one who oversees
  • Tajik: дидбон (didbon) — one who oversees
  • Thai: ผู้ดูแล (pûu-duu-lɛɛ) — one who oversees
  • Thai: ผู้ควบคุม (pûu-kûuap-kum) — one who oversees
  • Thai: หัวหน้างาน (hǔua-nâa-ngaan) — one who oversees
  • Ukrainian: нагляда́ч (nahljadáč) — one who oversees
  • Ukrainian: нагля́дач (nahljádač) — one who oversees
  • Ukrainian: нагляда́чка (nahljadáčka) — one who oversees
  • Ukrainian: нагля́дачка (nahljádačka) — one who oversees
  • Urdu: ناظِر (nāzir) — one who oversees
  • Urdu: نِگْران (nigrān) — one who oversees
  • Uzbek: nozir — one who oversees
  • Uzbek: nazoratchi — one who oversees
  • Vietnamese: người giám sát — one who oversees
Real reading context

overseer in complete knowledge articles