boss

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈbȯs  ˈbäs 

plural bosses

1

: a person who exercises control or authority

union bosses

a mafia boss

specifically : one who directs or supervises workers

asking your boss for a raise

2

politics : someone who controls votes in a party organization or dictates appointments or legislative measures

standing up to the party bosses

3

: a major antagonist in a game (such as a video game or board game) and usually one that must be overcome in order for a player to progress

At the start of each level players have 30 minutes to run around and beat the boss of the level.

—GameRant.com

It's a hard game, with a hard final boss, and watching video of people defeating it is so, so sweet.

—Cameron Kunzelman

—often used before another noun

a boss fight/battle

boss characters

bossdom

ˈbȯs-dəm 

ˈbäs-

noun

bossism

ˈbȯ-ˌsi-zəm 

ˈbä-

noun

boss

2 of 6

verb (1)

ˈbȯs  ˈbäs 

bossed; bossing; bosses

transitive verb

1

: to give usually arbitrary orders to

—usually used with around

Quit bossing me around.

2

: to exercise control or authority over : to act as boss (see boss entry 1) of

need someone to boss that job

boss

3 of 6

adjective

ˈbȯs 

slang

: excellent, first-rate

a boss new rock band

boss

4 of 6

noun (2)

ˈbäs  ˈbȯs 

1

a

: a raised ornamentation (as on a belt or shield) : stud

b

: an ornamental projecting block used in architecture

c

: a protuberant part or body

a boss of granite

a boss on an animal's horn

2

: a soft pad used in ceramics and glassmaking

3

: the hub of a propeller

Illustration of boss

• boss 1c

boss

5 of 6

verb (2)

ˈbäs  ˈbȯs 

bossed; bossing; bosses

transitive verb

1

: to embellish (something, such as a belt or shield) with a raised decoration : to ornament with bosses (see boss entry 4) : emboss

a bossed book cover

2

: to treat (something, such as the surface of porcelain) with a boss

boss

6 of 6

noun (3)

ˈbȯs  ˈbäs 

: cow, calf

Did you know?

The Dutch settlements in North America all came under English rule in the 1660s and 1670s, but Dutch continued to be spoken in the region long afterward. In American English, the lexical heritage of the Dutch colonies includes dope, stoop (meaning “porch”), and Santa Claus. Perhaps the most pervasive Dutch loanword is boss, from the Dutch baas, meaning “master.” The word first appears in the form boss in 1806, used by Washington Irving. Part of its success seems to have resulted from an American aversion to master, which was common in British use.

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• boss man
• captain
• chief
• foreman
• head
• headman
• helmsman
• honcho
• jefe
• kingpin
• leader
• master
• taskmaster

Verb (1)

• captain
• handle
• head
• overlook
• oversee
• quarterback
• superintend
• supervise

Adjective

• A-OK
• A1
• awesome
• bang-up
• banner
• beautiful
• blue-chip
• blue-ribbon
• boffo
• bonny [chiefly British]
• bonnie
• brag
• brave
• bully
• bumper
• capital
• choice
• classic
• cool [slang]
• corking
• crackerjack
• cracking
• dandy
• divine
• dope [slang]
• down [slang]
• dynamite
• excellent
• fab
• fabulous
• famous
• fantabulous [slang]
• fantastic
• fine
• first-class
• first-rate
• first-string
• five-star
• four-star
• frontline
• gangbusters
• gangbuster
• gilt-edged
• gilt-edge
• gone [slang]
• grand
• great
• groovy
• heavenly
• high-class
• hot
• hype [slang]
• immense
• jim-dandy
• keen
• lovely
• marvelous
• marvellous
• mean
• neat
• nifty
• noble
• number one
• No. 1
• numero uno
• out-of-sight [slang]
• par excellence
• peachy
• peachy keen
• phat [slang]
• prime
• primo [slang]
• prize
• prizewinning
• quality
• radical [slang]
• righteous [slang]
• sensational
• slick
• splendid
• stellar
• sterling
• superb
• superior
• superlative
• supernal
• swell
• terrific
• tip-top
• top
• top-notch
• top-of-the-line
• top-shelf
• topflight
• topping [chiefly British]
• unsurpassed
• wizard [chiefly British]
• wonderful

Examples of boss in a Sentence

Noun (1)

every morning the boss hands out a list of top-priority tasks

Verb (1)

she bossed that project for years, until she was promoted again

bossed the entire job site for a year

bossed the entire gang of electricians on the construction project

Adjective

a boss new rock band

that's a really boss stereo you've got

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For about 20 years, beating any two of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic at the same Grand Slam was the men’s tennis final boss. —Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025

In the film, Gascón plays a Mexican crime boss who seeks out a lawyer (Saldaña) who can help the character transition into living as a woman. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 23 Jan. 2025

Verb

This runs counter to his reputation, but McDavid has been bossing NHL defencemen for a couple of seasons now and Leon Draisaitl always owned that gear. —Allan Mitchell, The Athletic, 20 Jan. 2025

You’re being encouraged to boss up on a personal and financial level, and that means overcoming your own limiting beliefs and dreaming of a grander reality for yourself. —Dossé-Via Trenou, refinery29.com, 31 Mar. 2024

Adjective

Binning notes that Democratic U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of the Niles area, a former Traficant aide who won his ex-boss' congressional seat, was re-elected Tuesday by his smallest-ever margin, defeating GOP former state legislator Christina Hagan by 7.5 percentage points. —Sabrina Eaton, cleveland, 6 Nov. 2020

This excludes things like putting in legendaries for end of mission rewards or taking them out of non-boss chests. —Paul Tassi, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from Dutch baas "master, person in authority," earlier, "friend and master, head of a household," going back to Middle Dutch baes, used as a surname, of uncertain origin

Note: Compare late Middle Low German bas "superintendent of dikes," Frisian baas "master," the latter perhaps a loanword from Dutch. A relationship with Old High German basa "father's sister," German Base, name for various female relatives, is very unlikely. — The word boss was borrowed in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries from New York and New Jersey Dutch; as a name for a person in authority in Dutch it is already reported in New England in 1653—see citations in Oxford English Dictionary, first edition, and M. Mathews, Dictionary of Americanisms (though the alleged use by John Winthrop is most likely a misreading—see The Journal of John Winthrop 1630-1649 [Cambridge, 1996], p. 161). The adoption of Dutch long a as a rounded vowel is paralleled by dollar.

Verb (1)

derivative of boss entry 1

Adjective

derivative of boss entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English boce, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *bottia

Verb (2)

derivative of boss entry 4

Noun (3)

English dialect, young cow

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1856, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1836, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1c

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

1790, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing boss

• anti-boss
• be one's own boss
• boss man
• girl boss
• keep/stay on her boss's good side
• mob boss
• party boss
• pit boss
• show (someone) who's boss
• straw boss

Kids Definition

boss

1 of 5 noun

ˈbȯs 

ˈbäs

: a raised rounded part often used ornamentally (as on a shield or a ceiling) : stud

boss

2 of 5 verb

: to ornament with bosses : emboss

boss

3 of 5 noun

ˈbȯs

1

: the person (as an employer or supervisor) who tells workers what to do

2

: the head of a group

especially : a powerful politician who controls party business

boss adjective

boss

4 of 5 verb

ˈbȯs 

1

: to be in charge of

boss a job

2

: to give orders to

don't boss me around

boss

5 of 5 adjective

ˈbȯs 

slang

: excellent, first-rate

Etymology

Noun

Middle English boce "raised rounded part," from early French boce (same meaning)

Noun

from Dutch baas "master"

Medical Definition

boss

noun

ˈbäs, ˈbȯs 

: a protuberant part or body

a boss on an animal's horn