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

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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

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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

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

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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
Pushback to a controversial plan put forward by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to sell off stakes in the World Cup and other commercial operations to private investors is growing. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026 By the release of its last album—a 2010 tribute to friend and label boss Tony Wilson—the Durutti Column seemed to embody more of Vini Reilly than his actual body. — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 30 July 2026
Adjective
That’s basically the boss level of the shopping game—and usually requires hours of research. — Alexandra Emanuelli, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2025 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
Verb
Be ready to boss up and take dominion of situations that are seemingly out of your control (but won’t be for long) to help attain a sense of security. — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 30 Mar. 2026 England was bossing the game up front at 27-17 until Genge was sin-binned and France pounced. — ABC News, 14 Mar. 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
  • About 150 protesters were taken to hospital with injuries following Monday’s violence, according to leaders of the party behind the protests.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
  • While Wyscout is the industry leader for video scouting tools in football, Eyeball has, since forming in 2020, established itself as the youth football equivalent across the globe.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Definition of leader
Adjective
  • The neighborhood/area Just across the train tracks is Vesterbro with an excellent range of independent shops and restaurants, not least in Kødbyen, the Meat Packing district.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • As for dining options, Cafe Genevieve serves an excellent breakfast and brunch, and Million Dollar Cowboy Bar draws crowds for a taste of Western-style eats like bison burgers and elk sliders.
    — Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of excellent
Verb
  • Operators define intent, establish boundaries and supervise autonomous action across high-stakes systems.
    — Kannan Kothandaraman, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
  • Plaintiff David Figueroa’s lawsuit said he was hired as a retail sales consultant on February 2, 2026, and was supervised by store manager Sully Fuentes Peterson.
    — Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 29 July 2026
Definition of supervise
Verb
  • The archeological ruins of the Villa of Tiberius, the Roman emperor who ruled from 17 to 42 CE, were long rumored to lie somewhere between Rome and Naples.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Aug. 2026
  • On Tuesday, the ruling Liberal Democratic party advanced the bill through key committees, with Nikkei reporting Takaichi wants cabinet approval by this month, and for the bill to be tabled in parliament in the autumn.
    — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of rule
Verb
  • Emerging studies on leading AI models that have been specially trained by scholars to act as virtual Commanders-in-Chief, armed with massive arsenals of atomic arms, have been alarming.
    — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Her large flat-screen living room television was missing, leading detectives at the time to surmise the killer may have known that footage from the victim’s surveillance cameras could be watched on that TV.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of lead
Noun
  • Volkwine, lead foreman for Pivot Custom Skate Parks, a division of American Ramp Company, and his team have spent much of the last year helping to bring Idaho’s newest and biggest skate park to life.
    — Noah Daly July 31, Idaho Statesman, 31 July 2026
  • What money cannot copy is a workplace where people feel respected, where a foreman takes time to teach instead of just bark orders and where someone's growth is treated as the company's responsibility.
    — Brad Strawbridge, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of foreman
Adjective
  • The excitement in the stadium for the fans to see someone who, 24 hours earlier, had been on a field in Korea was awesome.
    — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026
  • Mark Davis Andrade debuted an awesome new theme and had two ladies with him.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026
Definition of awesome
Verb
  • The agency oversees Medicaid's low-cost health coverage for the state's lowest-income families.
    — Larry Seward, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Moreno asked the Ohio judge overseeing the case to grant a restraining order that would prohibit Miller from harassing, physically touching, and/or verbally or electronically threatening Moreno’s counsel.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
Definition of oversee

Phrases Containing boss

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bosquets
boss
boss (around)
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Cite this Entry

“Boss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boss. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on boss

Nglish: Translation of boss for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about boss

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