boss.
One who is in charge of something.
Meaning & usage
One who is in charge of something. One who oversees and directs the work of others; a supervisor.
The boss of the company was going to Spain for work.
One who is in charge of something. A person in charge of a business or company.
Chat turned to whisper when the boss entered the conference room.
My boss complains that I'm always late to work.
One who is in charge of something. A leader, the head of an organized group or team.
They named him boss because he had good leadership skills.
One who is in charge of something. The head of a political party in a given region or district.
He is the Republican boss in Kentucky.
One who is in charge of something. The male owner or man in charge of a large rural property.
One who is in charge of something. One's wife.
There's no olive oil; will sunflower oil do? — I'll have to run that by the boss.
One who is in charge of something. A term of address to a man, especially a customer; sometimes also to a friend or acquaintance of equal standing.
Good to see you, boss.
An enemy, often at the end of a level, that is particularly challenging and must be beaten in order to progress.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō-? Proto-Germanic *baswô Proto-West Germanic *baswō Old Dutch *baso Middle Dutch baes Dutch baasbor. English boss Borrowed from Dutch baas, from Middle Dutch baes (“master of a household, friend”), from Old Dutch *baso (“uncle, kinsman”), from Proto-West Germanic *baswō, from Proto-Germanic *baswô (“uncle”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *ba-, *bō- (“father, older male relative”), source also of the English terms babe, boy, bub, bully. Cognate with Middle Low German bās (“supervisor, foreman”), Old Frisian bas (“master”), hence Saterland Frisian Boas (“boss”), Old High German basa (“father's sister, cousin”), hence German Base (“aunt, cousin”). Originally a term of respect used to address an older relative. Later, in New Amsterdam, it began to mean a person in charge who is not a master. The video game sense is borrowed from Japanese ボス (bosu), borrowed from English boss.
To exercise authoritative control over; to tell (someone) what to do, often repeatedly.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō-? Proto-Germanic *baswô Proto-West Germanic *baswō Old Dutch *baso Middle Dutch baes Dutch baasbor. English boss Borrowed from Dutch baas, from Middle Dutch baes (“master of a household, friend”), from Old Dutch *baso (“uncle, kinsman”), from Proto-West Germanic *baswō, from Proto-Germanic *baswô (“uncle”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *ba-, *bō- (“father, older male relative”), source also of the English terms babe, boy, bub, bully. Cognate with Middle Low German bās (“supervisor, foreman”), Old Frisian bas (“master”), hence Saterland Frisian Boas (“boss”), Old High German basa (“father's sister, cousin”), hence German Base (“aunt, cousin”). Originally a term of respect used to address an older relative. Later, in New Amsterdam, it began to mean a person in charge who is not a master. The video game sense is borrowed from Japanese ボス (bosu), borrowed from English boss.
Of excellent quality, first-rate.
That is a boss Zefron poster.
Where this word comes from
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰā- Proto-Germanic *bō-? Proto-Germanic *baswô Proto-West Germanic *baswō Old Dutch *baso Middle Dutch baes Dutch baasbor. English boss Borrowed from Dutch baas, from Middle Dutch baes (“master of a household, friend”), from Old Dutch *baso (“uncle, kinsman”), from Proto-West Germanic *baswō, from Proto-Germanic *baswô (“uncle”), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *ba-, *bō- (“father, older male relative”), source also of the English terms babe, boy, bub, bully. Cognate with Middle Low German bās (“supervisor, foreman”), Old Frisian bas (“master”), hence Saterland Frisian Boas (“boss”), Old High German basa (“father's sister, cousin”), hence German Base (“aunt, cousin”). Originally a term of respect used to address an older relative. Later, in New Amsterdam, it began to mean a person in charge who is not a master. The video game sense is borrowed from Japanese ボス (bosu), borrowed from English boss.
A lump, protuberance, or swelling in an animal, person or object. A lump-like mass of rock, especially one projecting through a stratum of different rock.
A lump, protuberance, or swelling in an animal, person or object. A convex protuberance in hammered work, especially the rounded projection in the centre of a shield.
A lump, protuberance, or swelling in an animal, person or object. A protrusion; frequently a cylinder of material that extends beyond a hole.
A lump, protuberance, or swelling in an animal, person or object. A knob or projection, usually at the intersection of ribs in a vault.
A lump, protuberance, or swelling in an animal, person or object. A roughly cut stone set in place for later carving.
A target block, made of foam but historically made of hay bales, to which a target face is attached.
A wooden vessel for the mortar used in tiling or masonry, hung by a hook from the laths, or from the rounds of a ladder.
A head or reservoir of water.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English bos, bose, boce, from Old French boce (“lump, bulge, protuberance, knot”), from Frankish *bottja, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to hit, strike, beat”). Doublet of beat; see there for more.
To decorate with bosses; to emboss.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English bos, bose, boce, from Old French boce (“lump, bulge, protuberance, knot”), from Frankish *bottja, from Proto-Germanic *bautaną (“to hit, strike, beat”). Doublet of beat; see there for more.
A hassock or small seat, especially made from a bundle of straw.
Where this word comes from
Apparently a corruption of bast.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.