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oversee

/ˌˈoʊvərˌsi/
/ˈʌʊvəsi/
IPA guide

Other forms: oversees; overseeing; oversaw; overseen; overseed

To oversee is to supervise or watch over, the way a principal oversees a school or a store manager oversees everyone who works there.

This verb comes from the Old English oferseon, to "look down upon," which is also how oversee was originally used. You can say, "From this hill I oversee the whole town," but today it's much more common for oversee to mean supervise. If your Spanish club puts you in charge of the bake sale, you'll oversee everything: pricing the brownies, arranging cookies on a table, and reminding volunteers when to show up.

Definitions of oversee
  1. verb
    watch and direct
    “Who is overseeing this project?”
    see moresee less
    types:
    build
    order, supervise, or finance the construction of
    type of:
    administer, administrate
    work in an administrative capacity; supervise or be in charge of
Pronunciation
US
/ˌˈoʊvərˌsi/
UK
/ˈʌʊvəsi/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘oversee'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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