I. boss 1 S2 W3 /bɒs $ bɒːs/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Sense 1-3: Date: 1800-1900 ; Language: Dutch ; Origin: baas 'man in charge' ]
[ Sense 4: Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: boce , from Vulgar Latin bottia ]
1 . the person who employs you or who is in charge of you at work ⇨ employer , manager , supervisor :
I’ll have to ask my boss for a day off.
Since I’m my own boss (=I work for myself, rather than for an employer) , my hours are flexible.
2 . informal someone with an important position in a company or other organization:
the new boss at Paramount Pictures
union bosses
3 . the person who is the strongest in a relationship, who controls a situation etc:
When you first start training a dog, it’s important to let him see that you’re the boss.
You’ve got to show the kids who’s boss.
4 . a round decoration on the surface of something, for example on the ceiling of an old building
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ boss the person who is in charge of you at work. Boss sounds rather informal. The usual word to use in more formal English is manager :
Does your boss know you're looking for another job?
▪ manager the person in charge of a business such as a shop, a bank, or a hotel, or of a part of a business:
I'd like to speak to the hotel manager.
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the sales manager
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the manager of an Italian restaurant
▪ head the person who is in charge of an organization or a department within that organization:
the head of the CIA
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My wife's head of the French department at the university.
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He was the former head of the American Cancer Society.
▪ chief the most important person or one of the most important people in an organization such as the police, the fire department, or the army:
the chief of police
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police/army/fire chiefs
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Health chiefs have secured cash to build two new hospitals.
▪ president especially American English the person who is in charge of a large company or a department within a company:
the president of CBS news
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Angry shareholders called for the resignation of the company president.
▪ managing director British English the person who is in charge of the daily management of a company or organization:
He's the managing director of a small printing firm.
▪ chief executive ( also chief executive officer, CEO ) the person who is in charge of the daily management of a company:
the CEO of General Motors
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Universal Studios is looking for a new chief executive.
▪ supervisor someone who is in charge of a group of workers, whose job is to make sure that the workers do what the manager wants:
He was employed as a warehouse supervisor.
▪ line manager the manager who is directly in charge of you in a company:
If you want to take a holiday, first ask your line manager.
▪ report to somebody if you report to someone in a company, that person is directly in charge of you:
Jan is based in Birmingham and reports to the Head of Marketing.
II. boss 2 BrE AmE verb [transitive]
to tell people to do things, give them orders etc, especially when you have no authority to do it
boss somebody about British English , boss somebody around American English :
Five-year-old girls love to boss people around.
III. boss 3 BrE AmE adjective informal
very good, attractive, or fashionable:
a boss car