boss
boss — noun
1. the worker or business owner with authority over other employees, especially the
the worker or business owner with authority over other employees, especially the one who gives instructions and decides how the work is done.
Priya asked her boss for Friday off after lunch.
ask your boss for time off
The new boss changed the shop schedule on his first day.
At the factory, every boss must check safety rules each morning.
boss as a workplace role
After dinner, Yusuf called his boss about tomorrow's early train.
- my boss
- new boss
- strict boss
- company boss
- talk to the boss
- manager
more formal and often used as an official job title
- supervisor
focuses on checking and directing work, often at a lower level than a boss
- employer
the person or company that hires and pays you; not always your direct daily boss
Grammar Patterns
my/the boss
boss of + company/team
Usage Note
Usually names the person you report to at work. It can refer to a manager inside a company or the owner of a small business; distinguish from sense 3, which is broader and more situational.
Common Mistakes
2. used in the phrase 'your own boss' for someone who earns money by working indepe
used in the phrase 'your own boss' for someone who earns money by working independently and making their own job decisions.
After ten office years, Beatriz became her own boss and opened a cafe.
fixed phrase: be your own boss
Driving his own taxi lets Omar be his own boss.
Noa wants to be her own boss, so she sells cakes online.
Since leaving the bank, Theo has been his own boss.
idiomatic self-employment meaning
- be your own boss
- become your own boss
- work for yourself
- set your own hours
- freelancer
usually works independently for clients rather than employing staff
- business owner
emphasizes owning a business, not just working independently
- self-employed person
formal description for someone not employed by another company
- employee
works for an employer instead of deciding their own work
Grammar Patterns
be your own boss
Usage Note
Almost only appears in the fixed phrase 'be your own boss'; it does not usually name a person by itself. Distinguish from sense 1, where a boss is the person you work for.
Common Mistakes
3. the person whose opinion decides what happens in a group, project, or other situ
the person whose opinion decides what happens in a group, project, or other situation.
On this trip, Grandma is the boss because she planned everything.
pattern: be the boss
In the studio, the director is the boss when cameras start rolling.
Even the investors listened quietly because Mei was the boss at that table.
temporary control in a situation
For one day, the oldest child got to be boss of the game.
- be the boss
- who's the boss
- boss of the group
- act like the boss
- leader
broader word that may suggest guidance as well as control
- decision-maker
formal term focusing on final choice rather than personal authority
- chief
stronger and sometimes more official or military in tone
- follower
someone who accepts direction instead of giving it
- subordinate
formal word for a lower-ranking person
Grammar Patterns
be the boss
boss of + group
Usage Note
Often appears with 'be the boss' in a temporary setting such as a meeting, trip, or game. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is about who decides in the moment, not someone's job title.
Common Mistakes
4. a powerful enemy in a video game that players usually meet at a key point and mu
a powerful enemy in a video game that players usually meet at a key point and must beat to move on.
The desert boss threw fireballs across the bridge.
Our team lost twice before beating the final boss.
gaming collocation: final boss
At level ten, players meet a giant spider boss underground.
boss used for a hard enemy
The ice boss moved faster after its left arm broke.
- final boss
- boss battle
- boss fight
- beat the boss
- ally
a character who helps the player instead of fighting them
Grammar Patterns
final boss
boss fight
Usage Note
Common in gaming language, especially in combinations like 'final boss' and 'boss fight'. Usually refers to a named enemy blocking progress.
5. a round part that sticks out from a surface and is added as decoration, for exam
a round part that sticks out from a surface and is added as decoration, for example on metal or ceilings.
Gold bosses lined the rim of the old shield.
A round boss stood out from the center of the wooden door.
raised ornament on a surface
The museum guide pointed to stone bosses above the church arch.
common setting: shield / ceiling / arch
Dust filled the carved bosses on the hall ceiling.
- shield boss
- ceiling boss
- stone boss
- raised boss
- stud
usually smaller and often functional as well as decorative
- ornament
much broader word for any decorative detail
- projection
technical word for anything sticking out, whether decorative or not
Grammar Patterns
stone boss
ceiling boss
Usage Note
Mainly found in art, architecture, and museum writing. Most learners meet it when reading about old shields, doors, or church ceilings.
To demonstrate that you have more power or control than another person.
When the dog growled, Mark showed him who's boss by standing tall.
Did Sara show the new intern who's boss during the meeting?
boss — verb
1. to keep giving someone orders in an annoying or forceful way.
to keep giving someone orders in an annoying or forceful way.
The coach bossed the younger players around during warm-up.
pattern: boss someone around
Ravi hates it when customers boss him about like a child.
pattern: boss someone about
At home, nobody lets the oldest brother boss everyone around.
The class monitor kept bossing the group about all afternoon.
- boss someone around
- boss someone about
- keep bossing people
- boss the kids around
- order around
closest everyday synonym and usually clearly negative
- push around
stronger and suggests unfair treatment of someone weaker
- dominate
broader and can refer to power without constant spoken orders
Grammar Patterns
boss + person + around
boss + person + about
Usage Note
Usually negative. The object is a person, and the verb often appears with 'around' or 'about'.
Common Mistakes
2. to control a game, match, or part of play so strongly that you decide how it goe
to control a game, match, or part of play so strongly that you decide how it goes.
Spain bossed the match from the first whistle.
sports writing: boss the match
For twenty minutes, our midfield bossed play in the rain.
common object: play
The home side bossed the second half after the red card.
With calm passing, Hana bossed the game and set the pace.
- boss the match
- boss the game
- boss play
- boss the second half
- struggle
suggests difficulty instead of control
- lose control
the opposite result in the flow of play
Grammar Patterns
boss + the game/match
boss + play/midfield
Usage Note
Common in sports reporting. The object is usually 'the game', 'the match', 'play', or part of a game such as 'midfield' or 'the second half'.
Common Mistakes
boss — adjective
1. extremely good, enjoyable, or impressive.
extremely good, enjoyable, or impressive.
That new noodle place is boss on cold rainy nights.
informal adjective in casual praise
Diego showed us a boss trick on his skateboard.
The drummer's solo was boss, and the crowd screamed.
spoken praise for performance
Those speakers look boss in the small music room.
- boss trick
- boss song
- look boss
- sound boss
Grammar Patterns
be boss
look/sound boss
Usage Note
Common in casual speech and online comments, not in formal writing. In many varieties it sounds playful or regional.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- bossyadjectiveB2
- bossilyadverbC2
- bossinessnounC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
These words all refer to someone above you at work, but they are not identical. 'Boss' is the everyday word for the person you answer to and can feel personal or slightly informal: Priya asked her boss for Friday off. 'Manager' is more formal and often names an official role in a shop, office, or team. 'Supervisor' is narrower: this person watches your work and checks standards, but may not run the whole business. 'Director' usually suggests a higher rank in a large company or organization. 'Employer' only means the person or company that hires and pays you, so your employer is not always the boss you speak to each day.
Common collocations
Nouns
- company boss
- team boss
- final boss
- boss battle
Phrases
- be the boss
- be your own boss
- work for a boss
- boss someone around
Prepositions
- boss of (a company or group)
- boss at (work)
- boss in (this situation)
Etymology
Modern English 'boss' brings together two histories. The 'person in charge' word came from Dutch 'baas', used for a master or overseer and taken into English in North America. A different older word, from Old French 'boce' or 'bosse', meant a lump or hump and gave English the decorative noun for a round raised part. Later English built the verb 'boss' and the informal adjective from the authority sense. That is why one spelling now covers both 'the person in charge' and 'a raised round ornament', even though the two meanings began separately.