Dictionary

oversee en · VERB

Pronunciation

• [ˌəʉ̯.vəˈsiː] (Australia)
• /ˌɐʉ.vəˈsiː/ (New-Zealand)
• [ˌɐʉ̯.vəˈsiː] (New-Zealand)
• /ˌəʊ.vəˈsiː/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˌəʉ.vəˈsiː/ (Australia)
• [ˌɐʉ̯.vəˈsiː] (Australia) some speakers
• [ˌoʊ̯.vɚˈsi] (Canada, General-American)
• /ˌoʊ.vɚˈsi/ (Canada, General-American)
• [ˌəʊ̯.vəˈsiː] (Received-Pronunciation)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English overseen, ouverseen, from Old English ofersēon (“to observe, oversee; to overlook, neglect”), equivalent to over- + see.

Meanings

1. (literally, transitive) To survey, look at something in a wide angle.
2. (figuratively, transitive) To supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group.
   • Treasury could also ask why High Speed 2's finances are so adrift from what was promised. The answers will make for difficult DfT reading, because it can't escape the fact that it has been the government department overseeing rail spending for the past 20 years. 2024 September 4, Philip Haigh, “Can public-private partnerships be made to deliver?”, in RAIL, number 1017, page 53:
   • Based at BTP's London headquarters, Russell's team of three full-timers in the drone unit are responsible for overseeing the safety of drones in support of police officers. 2022 February 9, Tom Allett, “The BTP's eyes and ears in the air”, in RAIL, number 950, page 50:
   • It is congress's duty to oversee the spending of federal funds.
   • And overseeing them all, like a raddled old good-ish fairy, is Bill Nighy, playing a superannuated rocker hoping to get a Christmas number one with his cynically repackaged version of Love Is All Around. 2003 November 21, Peter Bradshaw, “Love Actually”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 06 Mar 2026:
3. (transitive) To inspect, examine.
   • Gamekeepers oversee a hunting ground to see to the wildlife's welfare and look for poachers.
4. (obsolete, transitive) To fail to see; to overlook, ignore.
   • Thereat the Elfe did blush in priuitee, / And turnd his face away; but she the same / Dissembled faire, and faynd to ouersee. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
5. (transitive) To observe secretly or unintentionally.

Forms

Deriveds

overseer · oversight

Relateds

overhear · overlook · overwatch

Synonyms

superintend

Translations (65)

it ispezionare (to inspect, examine) · de leiten (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · tr gözetmek (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · el επιτηρούμε (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · el επιτηρώ (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · tr izlemek (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · cmn 檢查 /检查 (to inspect, examine) · fi nähdä (to see secretly or unintentionally) · cmn 監督 /监督 (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · nl toezicht houden op (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · it supervisionare (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · pl przeglądać (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · it sondare (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · tr kontrol etmek (to inspect, examine) · de managen (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · fi tarkastella (to inspect, examine) · de beaufsichtigen (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · nl een oog(je) houden op (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · nl bekijken (to inspect, examine) · tr idare etmek (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · cmn 指導 /指导 (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · fr superviser (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · tr yönetmek (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · bg преглеждам (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · pl doglądać (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · fi johtaa (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · pl nadzorować (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · sq mbikëqyr (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · grc ἐφοράω (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · cmn 調查 /调查 (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · nl overzien (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · fi kytätä (to see secretly or unintentionally) · fi tarkkailla (to see secretly or unintentionally) · enm surveyen (to inspect, examine) · uk наглядати (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · pl przejrzeć (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · tr bakmak (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · cmn 監視 /监视 (to see secretly or unintentionally) · de überblicken (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · de beaufsichtigen (to inspect, examine) · pt sondar (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · pt vigiar (to see secretly or unintentionally) · bg съглеждам (to see secretly or unintentionally) · pt supervisionar (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · txb yärp- (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · de überwachen (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · es supervisar (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · ko 감독하다 (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · tpi bosim (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · ar أَشْرَفَ عَلَى (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · tr denetlemek (to inspect, examine) · fi tutkia (to inspect, examine) · nl toezien op (to inspect, examine) · de überwachen (to inspect, examine) · nl toezien op (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · fi valvoa (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · enm surveyen (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · fi katsoa (to inspect, examine) · nl overschouwen (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · bg надзиравам (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · it esaminare (to inspect, examine) · fi katsoa (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · fi valvoa (to supervise, guide, review or direct the actions of a person or group) · tr gözetim altında tutmak (to survey, look at something in a wide angle) · ru обозревать (to survey, look at something in a wide angle)