boss
gb/bˈɔs/ us/bˈɔs/
A2
Anglais
~ 2400
Sens
0 sens
Nom
A2
entity
1
Person who manages others
The person who tells workers what to do and makes decisions in a job or company.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone]'s boss
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'boss' with 'owner'. A boss may not be the owner of the company; they can simply be a manager or supervisor.
Synonymes
manager (Often used for someone in charge of a team or department, especially in business settings.)
|
supervisor (More formal and often used in workplace or HR contexts.)
Antonymes
employee (An employee works under a boss's direction.)
Collocations
immediate boss
|new boss
|former boss
|tough boss
|report to a boss
Thèmes
business
|workplace
|management
|work
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- My boss approved my vacation request.
- She asked her boss for a raise.
- His boss gave him a new project to complete.
Exemples pédagogiques
- My boss is very kind.
- I talk to my boss every day.
- Her boss is not in the office today.
Nom
informal
B1
entity
2
Person highly skilled or dominant
Someone who is very good at something or controls a situation well.
Schéma d’usage :
be a boss at [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may think this means the person is literally their work supervisor, but here it is slang for skill or dominance.
Synonymes
champion (Emphasizes winning or being the best, often in competitions.)
|
master (Highlights complete skill or control over something.)
Antonymes
amateur (Suggests someone with little skill or experience in an activity.)
Collocations
act like a boss
|play like a boss
Thèmes
slang
|achievement
|daily_life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- She handled that meeting like a boss.
- He's the boss when it comes to cooking.
- You wrote that code like a real boss.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He plays football like a boss.
- She can cook like a boss.
- You dance like a boss.
Verbe
informal
B1
action
3
Order someone around
To keep telling someone what to do in a way they may not like.
Schéma d’usage :
boss [someone] around
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may confuse this with being someone's official manager. In informal use, it can mean acting controlling even without formal authority.
Synonymes
order around (Similar meaning but slightly more neutral; focuses on giving commands.)
|
dictate to (Emphasizes imposing one's will on others.)
Antonymes
follow (To take orders instead of giving them.)
Collocations
boss people around
Thèmes
interpersonal
|conflict
|communication
|relationships
|work
Exemples
- Stop trying to boss me around!
- She likes to boss her younger brother around.
- He spent the afternoon bossing the volunteers around.
Exemples pédagogiques
- Don't boss me around.
- She bosses her team too much.
- He bosses his friends at school.
adjective
slang
B2
property
4
Excellent or impressive
Very good or cool.
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may not realize this usage is informal and mainly used in certain dialects or among younger speakers.
Synonymes
awesome (Very positive and enthusiastic; widely used slang.)
|
cool (Casual praise for something pleasing or stylish.)
Antonymes
lame (Slang for unimpressive or boring.)
Collocations
boss move
|boss car
Thèmes
slang
|praise
|core_vocabulary
|communication
Exemples
- That was a boss performance!
- Your new shoes are totally boss.
- We had a boss time at the party.
Exemples pédagogiques
- This game is boss.
- Your idea is boss.
- That song is boss.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
boss
API
GB/bˈɔs/
US/bˈɔs/
Syllabes et accentuation
boss (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (boss)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: boss
- Plural: bosses
Verb
- Base: boss
- 3rd Person Singular: bosses
- Present Participle: bossing
- Past: bossed
Famille de mots
Forms
bosses
noun
bossing
verb
bossed
verb
Core family
bossy
adjective B1
Related words
bossiness
noun
Advanced or less common
bossily
adverb
Expressions
boss around
1/bˈɔs ɚˈaʊnd/
phrasal verb
informal
Give overbearing orders to someone
To keep telling someone what to do in an annoying way.
Exemples
- Don't try to boss me around.
- She bosses her classmates around all the time.
like a boss
1/lˈaɪk ə bˈɔs/
idiom
informal
With skill and confidence
To do something very well and with confidence.
Exemples
- She finished the project like a boss.
- He handled that problem like a boss.
meet the new boss, same as the old boss
1/mˈit ðə njˈu bˈɔs | sˈeɪm ˈæz ðə ˈoʊld bˈɔs/
idiom
informal
New leader behaves like old one
When a new person in charge acts just like the previous one, often disappointingly.
Exemples
- The company changed CEOs, but it's meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
- Politics often feels like meet the new boss, same as the old boss.