Meaning & use
supervision
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Meanings
noununcountable
The act of watching over and directing people or work to make sure things are done correctly.
Grammar: Uncountable; can be used with 'under' or 'without': under supervision, without supervision.
Patterns
- under supervision
- without supervision
- supervision of someone/something
- close supervision
Children must be under adult supervision at all times.
The project was completed under the supervision of a senior engineer.
Without proper supervision, the experiment could be dangerous.
nouncountable
The person or group that supervises; the supervising body.
Grammar: When countable, it often refers to a specific instance or body of supervisors, e.g., 'a supervision'.
Patterns
- a supervision
- the supervisions
The school has several supervisions to monitor student behavior.
Each department has its own supervision.
Word forms
| plural | supervisions |
|---|
Common combinations
- under supervision
- The patient is under constant supervision.
- close supervision
- New employees work under close supervision.
- lack of supervision
- The accident was caused by a lack of supervision.
- supervision of
- She is responsible for the supervision of ten staff members.
- without supervision
- He is not allowed to drive without supervision.
Synonyms and how they differ
- oversight
- Often implies general watchfulness rather than active direction; 'supervision' suggests more hands-on guidance.
- management
- Focuses on organizing and controlling resources; 'supervision' is more about watching and directing people.
- direction
- Emphasizes giving instructions and guidance; 'supervision' includes watching to ensure compliance.
Opposites
Word family
- supervise verb
- To watch over and direct work or people.
- supervisor noun
- A person who supervises others.
- supervisory adjective
- Relating to supervision.
Commonly confused: supervision or supervision?
supervision vs supervision
Not to be confused with 'superstition', which means a belief in magic or luck.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
The correct phrase is 'under the supervision of someone'. The definite article 'the' is needed before 'supervision' in this construction. The other prepositions are not used in this fixed phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “supervision”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.