INDEX:
1. to be in charge of an activity or group of people
2. someone who is in charge at work
3. to be in charge of a meeting
4. someone who is in charge of an official meeting
RELATED WORDS
to tell someone to do something : ↑ TELL
see also
↑ MANAGER
↑ LEADER
↑ CONTROL/NOT CONTROL
↑ RESPONSIBLE
↑ POSITION/RANK
↑ GOVERNMENT
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1. to be in charge of an activity or group of people
▷ be in charge /biː ɪn ˈtʃɑːʳdʒ/ [verb phrase]
if you are in charge of an activity or a group of people, you are the person who has the authority to control what happens, tell other people what to do etc :
▪ He’s the captain. He’s in charge, so he’s responsible for anything that happens.
be in charge of
▪ Who’s the officer in charge of the investigation
be in charge of doing something
▪ As senior supervisor, she is in charge of training new employees.
put somebody in charge
▪ Two years after joining the police force, he was put in charge of the department’s records.
▷ run /rʌn/ [transitive verb]
to be the person who makes the important decisions about what will happen in a business, organization, country etc :
▪ She runs a company called Sunshine Holidays.
▪ a drug counselling service that is run by ex-addicts
▪ Who really runs the country - the elected government or big business?
well/badly/poorly etc run
▪ The voting process was smooth and, for the most part, well-run.
state-run
run by the government
▪ a state-run mental hospital
▷ manage /ˈmænɪdʒ/ [transitive verb]
to be in charge of a business, especially one that is owned by someone else :
▪ My husband manages a mill, 200 miles north of Bombay.
▪ Managing four pizza outlets is extremely hard work.
▪ The family business was skilfully managed by her elder brother, Michael.
▷ head /hed/ [transitive verb]
if you head a company or activity, you are in charge of it :
▪ Levy headed an investigation into the fund mismanagement.
▪ The program is headed by an expert in teaching gifted and talented children.
head up
American informal
▪ Heading up the investigation into the crash is Officer Frank Foyle.
▷ lead /liːd/ [transitive verb]
to be the person with responsibility for a large group or team that is working together on an important activity :
▪ The drug raid was led by top officers.
▪ Dr Jenkins leads a team of researchers at the Plant Institute.
▪ A group of 80 planes, led by Lieutenant Commander Egusha, was on its way to attack.
▷ supervise /ˈsuːpəʳvaɪz, ˈsjuː-ǁˈsuː-/ [transitive verb]
to be in charge of a group of workers or students and be responsible for making sure that they do their work properly, especially by being with them to give instructions, answer questions etc :
▪ At work, she supervises a production team of fifteen.
▪ All volunteers are supervised by a qualified nurse.
▪ The teacher’s duties that morning included supervising the before-school reading program.
supervision /ˌsuːpəʳˈvɪʒ ə n, ˌsjuː-ǁˌsuː-/ [uncountable noun]
▪ We work under the Chief Engineer’s supervision.
▪ Children of this age do not need constant supervision.
▷ oversee /ˌəʊvəʳˈsiː/ [transitive verb] formal
to be in charge of a group of workers, especially when this involves planning and organizing what they should do rather than being with them or giving instructions to them directly :
▪ Team leaders and project managers oversee groups of programming staff.
▪ Administrators oversee the testing of students, to place them in the appropriate classes.
2. someone who is in charge at work
▷ supervisor /ˈsuːpəʳvaɪzəʳ, ˈsjuː-ǁˈsuː-/ [countable noun]
someone who is in charge of a group of workers, and makes sure they do their jobs properly :
▪ You must receive approval from a supervisor before visiting a high-risk area.
▪ Haworth, formerly a supervisor of 120 people at a printing company, left to start his own business.
▷ head /hed/ [countable noun]
the person who is in charge of a company, department, or particular activity :
head of
▪ According to Rice, the head of the planning committee, the project is 25% completed.
be head of something
▪ Hwang is head of the local Communist Party, and is also a farmer.
▷ foreman /ˈfɔːʳmən/ [countable noun]
someone who is in charge of a group of factory workers or builders and is responsible for seeing that orders from managers are carried out :
▪ Time taken in unloading should be recorded by the foreman and paid at the agreed rate.
▷ boss /bɒsǁbɔːs/ [countable noun]
the person who is in charge of you at work :
▪ As a secretary, my job includes taking my boss’s phone calls.
▪ She accuses her former boss of sexually harassing her.
immediate boss
the person who is directly in charge of you
▪ The managing director is a man but my immediate boss is a woman.
be your own boss
to run your own business and organize your own work
▪ I don’t make as much money as I used to, but I prefer being my own boss.
▷ manager /ˈmænɪdʒəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone whose job is to run part or all of a company or other organization and who is in charge of you at work :
▪ He was a manager for Safeway Stores before leaving to start his own business.
▪ If the sales clerk cannot help you, ask to see the manager.
▪ McBride was a general manager in charge of research and development.
line manager
the person who is directly in charge of your work
▪ Notify your line manager if you are ill.
▷ superior /suːˈpɪ ə riəʳ, sjuː-ǁsʊ-/ [countable noun] formal
someone who is in a higher position than you at work :
▪ The report he submitted to his superiors accurately reflected the poor morale of the workers.
immediate superior
the person in the position directly above you
▪ Your most important working relationship is with your immediate superior.
3. to be in charge of a meeting
▷ chair /tʃeəʳ/ [transitive verb]
to be in charge of an official meeting :
▪ The meeting was chaired by Professor Grainger of the Biology Department.
▪ Her job involves chairing meetings, and producing and circulating the minutes of those meetings.
▷ preside over /prɪˈzaɪd əʊvəʳ/ [transitive phrasal verb] formal
to be in charge of an official meeting, especially an important one or one attended by a lot of people :
▪ The meeting was held at Halling Institute and was presided over by T.H. Baker.
▪ Johnson presided over a long Senate ethics committee investigation.
4. someone who is in charge of an official meeting
▷ chair/chairperson /tʃeəʳ, ˈtʃeəʳpɜːʳs ə n/ [countable noun]
someone who is in charge of a meeting - use this when it is not important to say, or you do not know, whether the person is a man or woman :
▪ All questions must be addressed to the chair.
▪ Topics may be selected by the chairperson at the beginning of the meeting.
chair/chairperson of
▪ Councillor Jones will be chair of the housing committee meeting.
▷ chairman/chairwoman /ˈtʃeəʳmən, ˈtʃeəʳˌwʊmən/ [countable noun]
someone who is in charge of a meeting. Use chairman about either a man or a woman, and chairwoman only about a woman :
▪ ‘Mr Chairman,’ a woman’s voice called from the back of the hall, ‘may I ask a question?’
chairman/chairwoman of
▪ Rogers was asked to serve as chairman of the committee.
▪ The chairwoman of the committee to reform the state’s welfare program says she wants a proposal drafted by June.