From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbossboss1 /bɒs $ bɒːs/ ●●● S2 W3 noun [countable] 1 BEBOthe 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 informalBB someone with an important position in a company or other organization the new boss at Paramount Pictures union bosses3 CONTROLthe 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 AVTBa round decoration on the surface of something, for example on the ceiling of an old buildingTHESAURUSboss the person who is in charge of you at work. Boss sounds rather informal. The usual word to use in more formal English is managerDoes 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 businessI'd like to speak to the hotel manager.the sales managerthe manager of an Italian restauranthead the person who is in charge of an organization or a department within that organizationthe head of the CIAMy wife's head of the French department at the university.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 armythe chief of policepolice/army/fire chiefsHealth 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 companythe president of CBS newsAngry 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 organizationHe'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 companythe CEO of General MotorsUniversal 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 wantsHe was employed as a warehouse supervisor.line manager the manager who is directly in charge of you in a companyIf 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 youJan is based in Birmingham and reports to the Head of Marketing.
Examples from the Corpus
boss• Time and again as boss of Rangers and Liverpool, Souness has smashed the million-pound barrier to sign players.• The front page of the paper announced "Company bosses get record pay increases".• It was a display which earned high praise, not least from Coventry boss Bobby Gould.• But we noticed that people in Washington more or less assumed the personality and the style of their elected bosses.• She accuses her former boss of sexually harassing her.• The managing director is a man but my immediate boss is a woman.• As a secretary, my job includes taking my boss's phone calls.• We worried about titles and offices and whether or not our bosses really liked us.• I don't make as much money as I used to, but I prefer being my own boss.• He will probably be none other than General Jaruzelski, the party boss.• But the boss still wants his money.• There's a new guy at work who's always trying to impress the boss.• If they did this particularly well, analysts were thought well of by their bosses.• Can you ask your boss if she'll let you leave early today?• Does your boss know you're looking for another job?my own boss• I don't like to be beholden to anybody, I like to be my own boss.bossboss2 verb [transitive] to tell people to do things, give them orders etc, especially when you have no authority to do itboss somebody about British English, boss somebody around American English Five-year-old girls love to boss people around.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
boss• The idea of bossing anybody around was as alien to him as it was distasteful in his mind.• Also it was about time he learnt that bossing her around wouldn't be a push-over for him.• Stop bossing me around!• I am teamed-up on a long-term assignment with some one who keeps trying to boss me around.• I iced him so bad when he bossed me, he might never be back.• I don't know why you think you have the right to boss us around.bossboss3 adjective informal FASHIONABLEvery good, attractive, or fashionable a boss carExamples from the Corpus
boss• That's a really boss surfboard.From Longman Business Dictionarybossboss /bɒsbɒːs/ noun [countable] informal1the person who employs you or who is in charge of you at workI’ll have to ask my boss for a day off.2a manager with an important position in an organizationWhat they need to do is lobby strongly for more women bosses.Prison bosses launched an investigation into major security lapses.Boss is an informal word for a manager (=someone whose job is to be in charge of all or part of a company or a particular activity). A supervisor is someone who is in charge of a group of workers or a particular area of work, especially workers in low-ranking jobs. A foreman/forewoman is a worker who is in charge of a group of workers in a factory or on a building site. The Chief Executive Officer/CEO (also Managing Director/MD British English) is the most senior manager in a company, and has the most authority. The job of Chief Executive Officer can also be combined with the job of president American English/chairman of the board British English, whose role involves leading the company and making the final decisions on its business policy. The senior management are the most important group of managers in a company. Below them are the middle management and then the junior management.3be your own boss to work for yourself rather than being employed by someone elseHe’s looking forward to the day when he will be his own boss.Origin boss1 1. (1800-1900) Dutch baas “man in charge”2. (1300-1400) Old French boce, from Vulgar Latin bottia 