oversee

verb

over·​see ˌō-vər-ˈsē 

oversaw ˌō-vər-ˈsȯ  ; overseen ˌō-vər-ˈsēn  ; overseeing

transitive verb

1

: survey, watch

From his hilltop home he can oversee the river below.

2

a

: inspect, examine

oversees all new machinery

b

: to watch over and direct (an undertaking, a group of workers, etc.) in order to ensure a satisfactory outcome or performance : supervise

was hired to oversee the design and construction of the new library

oversaw 20 employees

Synonyms of oversee

• supervise
• manage
• operate
• regulate
• handle
• control
• conduct
• govern

Examples of oversee in a Sentence

He was hired to oversee design and construction of the new facility.

will oversee the new manufacturing division

Recent Examples on the Web

The board of supervisors in each county is responsible for ensuring the implementation of federal and state priorities and overseeing the departments that deliver those services in the community. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 29 Apr. 2026

The for-profit arm, which continues to be overseen by a nonprofit foundation, raised $122 billion in its latest funding round that closed last month. —Shanshan Dong, NBC news, 29 Apr. 2026

Each month, the indictment says, a member of the Chapitos gang responsible for overseeing operations in Culiacán received a box stuffed with a large amount of cash, along with a list of corrupt officials who were supposed to receive the payoffs. —Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026

Cacioppo—who taught herself to code from books before writing Vanta’s first prototype—now oversees roughly 1,000 employees. —Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for oversee

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy

Kids Definition

oversee

verb

over·​see ˌō-vər-ˈsē 

oversaw -ˈsȯ  ; overseen -ˈsēn  ; overseeing

1

: to look down upon : survey

2

a

: to look over : examine

b

: superintend, supervise