VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

manager

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈmænɪdʒə/
US/ˈmænɪdʒər/

Meanings

  1. nouncountablebusiness

    A person whose job is to direct a business, department, shop or team and to make sure its work gets done.

    Grammar: Often followed by of or used before a noun: manager of the store, manager position.

    Patterns

    • manager of something
    • manager at somewhere

    The store manager approved the schedule.

    She became a project manager at a software company.

    Ask the hotel manager about a late checkout.

  2. nouncountable

    A person who looks after the business affairs of a performer, athlete or public figure.

    Grammar: Often with a possessive: the singer's manager.

    Patterns

    • manager of someone

    The singer's manager arranged a world tour.

    Her manager negotiated a bigger fee.

    The boxer fired his manager after the loss.

  3. nouncountablesport

    In sport, the person who selects the team and directs tactics, especially in British football and baseball.

    Grammar: In British football the manager is the head coach; in US sports coach is more common except in baseball.

    Patterns

    • manager of a team

    The club manager changed the lineup at half time.

    The baseball manager walked out to the mound.

    Fans called for the manager to resign.

Word forms

pluralmanagers

Common combinations

line manager
Talk to your line manager about holiday dates.
general manager
The general manager runs the whole plant.
middle manager
As a middle manager, she reported to two directors.
manager's office
He was called into the manager's office.
project manager
The project manager set weekly deadlines.
appoint a manager
The club will appoint a manager next week.

Synonyms and how they differ

supervisor
It oversees daily work of a small group, while a manager usually has wider responsibility including budgets.
director
It sits above a manager in many firms and sets overall direction.
boss
It is informal and applies to anyone in charge, while manager names a formal role.
head
It stresses leading a unit and works well with departments, as in head of sales.

Opposites

employeesubordinate

Word family

manage verb
to run or control something, or to cope
management noun
the people who run an organisation, or the act of running it
managerial adjective
relating to the work of a manager
mismanage verb
to run something badly
manageress noun
an old-fashioned term for a woman manager

Commonly confused: manager or manger?

manager vs manger

A manger is a feeding trough for animals, as in the Christmas story. Manager has an extra syllable and means a person who runs something.

Practice

The singer's ______ negotiated the contract for her next world tour.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “manager”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words