managers

IPA/ˈmæn.ɪ.dʒər/
KK[mˈænədʒɚz]IPA/ˈmæn.ə.dʒɚ/

managers — noun

  • managerssingular
  • managersesplural

1. people whose job is to organize work, make decisions, and direct staff in a busi

1.nounA2
Definition

people whose job is to organize work, make decisions, and direct staff in a business or other organization.

Example

The store managers met early to plan the holiday sales display.

managers plan business decisions

After lunch, Mina asked the managers to approve her shift change.

Common collocations
  • store managers
  • office managers
  • senior managers
  • project managers
  • department managers
  • line managers
Synonyms
  • supervisors

    often focuses more on watching staff closely than on wider planning

  • administrators

    sounds more official and often stresses systems or policy work

  • executives

    usually refers to higher-ranking business leaders rather than all managers

Antonyms
  • workers

    the general workforce rather than the people directing it

  • staff

    the employees being supervised instead of the supervisors

Grammar Patterns

managers at [place]

managers of [department/store]

speak to the managers

Usage Note

Use this sense for people who run day-to-day work in companies, shops, schools, hospitals, and similar organizations. It is broader than sense 2 and sense 3, which are tied to sports and performers.

Common Mistakes

The managers is meeting upstairs.
The managers are meeting upstairs.
the plural noun takes a plural verb.
I asked to manager for help.
I asked the managers for help.
use the plural form only when you mean more than one person.

2. people who organize a sports team or athlete and may also help with training pla

2.nounB1
Definition

people who organize a sports team or athlete and may also help with training plans and match decisions.

Example

The club managers signed two defenders before the season began.

club managers make team choices

Jisoo thanked the managers for booking cheaper hotels for away games.

Common collocations
  • team managers
  • club managers
  • football managers
  • national-team managers
  • youth-team managers
  • athlete managers
Synonyms
  • coaches

    often stresses training players more than travel or contract planning

  • trainers

    usually focuses on physical preparation rather than full team control

  • team officials

    broader term that can include people who are not the main managers

Antonyms
  • players

    the people who actually take part in the match

  • athletes

    the sports performers being guided or represented

Grammar Patterns

team managers

club managers

managers of an athlete

Usage Note

This sense belongs to sport. The job can include arranging travel, choosing tactics, and sometimes training players, so it is narrower than the general workplace sense in sense 1.

Common Mistakes

The managers scored both goals in the final.
The players scored both goals, while the managers chose the tactics.
managers direct the team; they are not usually the athletes on the field.
She is manager of the team.
She is one of the managers of the team.
use the plural noun only when more than one person holds the role.

3. people who arrange contracts, travel, and other business matters for singers, ac

3.nounB1
Definition

people who arrange contracts, travel, and other business matters for singers, actors, or similar performers.

Example

The singer's managers turned down two late television interviews.

managers handle public bookings

Rafael's managers checked the tour budget before adding another concert.

Common collocations
  • band managers
  • tour managers
  • artist managers
  • talent managers
  • hire new managers
  • talk to the managers
Synonyms
  • agents

    often focuses more on finding work or negotiating deals

  • representatives

    broader and less tied to the entertainment industry

  • handlers

    informal and sometimes suggests image control more than long-term planning

Antonyms
  • performers

    the singers, actors, or musicians whose careers are being managed

  • clients

    the artists who receive the managers' service

Grammar Patterns

the singer's managers

band managers

managers for [artist]

Usage Note

Use this sense for entertainment and performance work. Unlike sense 1, it is about handling a performer's business affairs, and unlike sense 2, it is not mainly about sport.

Common Mistakes

The managers sang the encore after the concert.
The performers sang the encore, while the managers handled the business side.
managers arrange work for the artist rather than performing on stage.
The managers chose the costumes on stage during the song.
The managers chose the costumes before the show and let the performers go on stage.
these managers handle arrangements around the performance, not the performance itself.

4. computer programs or systems that let you control files, devices, passwords, or

4.nounB2
Definition

computer programs or systems that let you control files, devices, passwords, or other organized tasks.

Example

The IT team tested three password managers before choosing one for staff.

password managers store secure logins

Good file managers let users move photos with a few clicks.

Common collocations
  • password managers
  • file managers
  • device managers
  • download managers
  • package managers
  • task managers
Synonyms
  • utilities

    broader term for useful system tools, not only managers

  • apps

    very general and does not show the organizing function

  • control tools

    describes the job but is less idiomatic as a software label

Grammar Patterns

password managers

file managers

device managers

Usage Note

This sense belongs to computing. The word usually appears after the thing being controlled, such as file managers, password managers, or device managers.

Common Mistakes

I installed managers on my laptop.
I installed two file managers on my laptop.
in computing, name the kind of software so the meaning is clear.
The managers saved my passwords by hand.
The password managers saved my passwords for me.
the software sense usually needs the managed item before the word.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Managers is a broad everyday word for people who direct staff and organize work in a business or other organization. Supervisors often stay closer to the people doing the work and watch daily performance more directly. Administrators sounds more official and often suggests rules, systems, records, or office processes. Executives usually refers to higher-ranking leaders who make larger business decisions, not every manager in a company. If you are talking about the people in charge of a shop, team, or department in general, managers is usually the safest choice.

managers ↗supervisors ↗administrators ↗executives ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • store managers
  • team managers
  • band managers
  • project managers
  • password managers
  • device managers

Phrases

  • talk to the managers
  • hire new managers
  • meet with managers
  • managers in charge

Prepositions

  • managers at
  • managers of
  • managers for

Etymology

LatinItalianFrenchEnglish

Managers is the regular plural form of manager. Manager was formed in English from manage plus the ending -er, which names a person or thing that does a job. Manage came through French and Italian from a root connected with the Latin word manus, meaning hand, so the family originally suggested handling or directing something by hand.

First known use

1562

1562, in the meaning defined above