supervise
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
to be the person in charge of watching over a group or a place.
to provide supervision or act in the capacity of a supervisor. Used intransitively when the focus is on the role rather than a specific task.
Simple“The teacher stayed in the hall to supervise while the students ate lunch.”
In context“During the examination period, additional staff members were hired to supervise in the main hall.”
UsageUsed without a direct object to describe the general act of monitoring.
- 02 C2 Proficiency
to look over or read something carefully.
to look over so as to read; to peruse. This sense is no longer used in modern English.
Simple“The scholar took a moment to supervise the ancient letters on the desk.”
In context“He requested a quiet corner where he might supervise the manuscript without interruption from the other guests.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is obsolete; modern speakers use 'peruse' or 'review' instead.
“They're asked to perform complex analyses, supervise and coach junior staff members and to liaise with the executive team, with the client, with the support team.”
“With the authorities “supervising their wage bill”, Monaco have made savings this summer.”
Borrowed from Medieval Latin supervisus, from supervidere, from Latin super + videre. Doublet of survey.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.