Definition of “boss” - English Dictionary

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“boss” in English

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bossnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /bɒs/ us ​ /bɑːs/

boss noun [ C ] (MANAGER)

A2 the person who is in charge of an organization and who tells others what to do:

She was the boss of a large international company.
I started up my own business and now I'm my own boss (= I work for myself and no one tells me what to do).
informal Who's the boss (= the person who makes all the important decisions) in your house?

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Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

Idiom(s)

like a boss

bossverb [ T usually + adv/prep ]

uk ​ /bɒs/ us ​ /bɑːs/ informal disapproving

bossadjective

uk ​ /bɒs/ us ​ /bɑːs/ slang

(Definition of “boss” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

“boss” in American English

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bossnoun [ C ]

us ​ /bɔs, bɑs/

› the person who is in charge of an organization or a department and who tells others what to do:

I’ll ask my boss if I can take the afternoon off.
bossy
adjective us ​ /ˈbɔ·si, ˈbɑs·i/

› disapproving

"Move over," she said in a bossy tone.

(Definition of “boss” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

“boss” in Business English

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bossnoun [ C ]

uk ​ /bɒs/ us ​ MANAGEMENT, HR, WORKPLACE

› a person who is senior to you at work, especially the person who is your manager:

Getting on badly with the boss topped the list of reasons given by workers for leaving their job.
my new/old/former boss

› informal the person in charge of a company:

Now that the company finally has a new boss, investors will be demanding to see a new strategy.
company/union/bank bosses
be your own boss

› to work for yourself, not for an employer:

I always wanted to be self-employed, to be my own boss, and do things the way I thought they should be done.

(Definition of “boss” from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Blogs about "boss"

The language of work

by katewoodford,

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