- a person who oversees others, esp workmen
- Brit short for overseer of the poor; a minor official of a parish attached to the workhouse or poorhouse
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
o•ver•se•er
(ō′vər sē′ər, -sēr′),USA pronunciation n.
- a person who oversees;
supervisor;
manager:the overseer of a plantation.
- 1350–1400; Middle English; see oversee, -er1
- chief, head, boss, director.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
overseer /ˈəʊvəˌsiːə/ n
o•ver•see /ˌoʊvɚˈsi/USA pronunciation
v. [~ + object], -saw, -seen, -see•ing.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- to supervise;
manage:He oversaw the project.
o•ver•see
(ō′vər sē′),USA pronunciation v.t., -saw, -seen, -see•ing.
- to direct (work or workers);
supervise;
manage:He was hired to oversee the construction crews. - to see or observe secretly or unintentionally:We happened to oversee the burglar leaving the premises. He was overseen stealing the letters.
- to survey or watch, as from a higher position.
- to look over;
examine;
inspect.
- Middle English overseen, Old English ofersēon. See over-, see1 bef. 900
'overseer' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):