boss 1 of 3

noun

ˈbȯs How to pronounce boss (audio)
Definition of bossnext
as in leader
the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells people and especially workers what to do every morning the boss hands out a list of top-priority tasks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

boss

2 of 3

adjective

ˈbȯs How to pronounce boss (audio)
slang
as in excellent
of the very best kind that's a really boss stereo you've got

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

boss

3 of 3

verb

ˈbȯs How to pronounce boss (audio)
1
as in to supervise
to be in charge of she bossed that project for years, until she was promoted again

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to rule
to exercise authority or power over bossed the entire job site for a year

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to lead
to serve as leader of bossed the entire gang of electricians on the construction project

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of boss
Noun
Alec and Hilaria posed on the Boss Baby red carpet premiere with their own boss babies — Carmen and Rafael. — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 30 June 2026 Working at Commerce Bank as an IT project manager, his boss asked for his support on a project that would require long working nights and weekends. — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026
Adjective
This excludes things like putting in legendaries for end of mission rewards or taking them out of non-boss chests. — Paul Tassi, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2021 That’s basically the boss level of the shopping game—and usually requires hours of research. — Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025
Verb
Sun Ra was simultaneously impish and imperious, bossing us with wiggles of his hands. — Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026 No leader can unilaterally impose his or her will on the American public the way a patriarch can boss around employees at a family company. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 24 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for boss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boss
  1. leader
  2. excellent
  3. supervise
  4. rule
  5. lead
  6. foreman
  7. awesome
  8. oversee
Noun
  • In the weeks since Fable 5 and Mythos 5 were forced out of commission, industry leaders and experts became increasingly worried that the ad-hoc ban would threaten America’s AI lead against China.
    — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 1 July 2026
  • According to Smith, citizens of East Florida even burned the leaders behind the Declaration of Independence in effigy.
    — Hank Tester, CBS News, 1 July 2026
Definition of leader
Adjective
  • While San Francisco’s bullpen is struggling, Rogers is in the midst of another excellent season after signing a three-year, $37 million deal to join the defending American League champions.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 7 July 2026
  • Guests can borrow, for no charge, one of four Mate e-bikes for spins around the park or beyond, say to Tanimachi nearby for local neighborhood vibes, including charming izakayas, gyoza shops, and excellent, one-woman restaurants such as Tachiaoi.
    — Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026
Definition of excellent
Verb
  • While older children can use sparklers, they should be supervised, Heckman said.
    — Amen Galinato, CNN Money, 4 July 2026
  • Between there, and running upstairs to supervise fittings of his monumentally sculptural work with his stylist Tallulah Harlech, the designer caught a rare moment to sit and talk.
    — Sarah Mower, Vogue, 3 July 2026
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • The California Supreme Court is poised to rule in a lawsuit that has pitted the state’s court reporters — the workers who create transcripts of court proceedings — against victims of domestic violence and other vulnerable litigants.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • News cameras will be allowed to record and broadcast much of the hearing, the judge ruled last week over the objections of Robinson’s attorneys.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of rule
Verb
  • The woman accused Mendes, Cape Verde’s all-time leading scorer, of forcing his way into her hotel room in Auckland and then raping her.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 July 2026
  • Villaraigosa, who led the city from 2005-13 and recently ran for governor, argued that this is not the right time to make even that change.
    — Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of lead
Noun
  • Hauser played hardened ranch foreman Rip Wheeler on the Paramount Network series that ran from 2018 to 2024.
    — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 July 2026
  • Beth, the daughter of the late John Dutton (Kevin Costner), and Rip, the Dutton ranch’s longtime foreman and fixer, have become one of TV's most beloved and volatile couples.
    — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 24 June 2026
Definition of foreman
Adjective
  • My colleague Erik Tice at the Dink (who does double duty as the GM for the California Black Bears) is back to maintaining his Public MLP Data sheet, which has all sorts of awesome data.
    — Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • Brady joins bro Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe and of course the return of Aleksander Barkov to lead what should be an awesome offense.
    — Greg Cote June 28, Miami Herald, 28 June 2026
Definition of awesome
Verb
  • The judge denied Fischer’s request to appoint and fund a special master to oversee the privilege screen but allowed defense attorneys to review the records themselves instead of prosecutors.
    — Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
  • The first three times were under Socialist Party Prime Minister Felipe González starting in 1986, but conservative leader José Maria Aznar’s government also oversaw two such measures in the 2000s.
    — Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of oversee

Phrases Containing boss

Browse Nearby Words

bosquets
boss
boss (around)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Boss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boss. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on boss

Nglish: Translation of boss for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about boss

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All