supe
supe — noun
1. an actor who appears in a film, play, or TV show as part of a crowd scene, witho
an actor who appears in a film, play, or TV show as part of a crowd scene, without speaking any lines. 'Supe' is a short, informal form of 'supernumerary'.
The director needed thirty supes for the busy market scene in her new film.
countable noun for background actors in film/TV
Niran worked as a supe on four different television shows last year alone.
Most supes spend hours in the costume department before they film their ten-second scene.
Beatriz signed up as a supe for the historical drama to see how period films are made.
- extra
more common synonym outside theatre context; 'extra' is the standard film-industry term worldwide
- background actor
more formal and descriptive; used in casting notices and professional contracts
- walk-on
slightly different — a walk-on may have a brief non-speaking action (e.g. handing something to a lead actor), whereas a supe is purely part of the crowd
用法筆記
Common in the film and theatre industries but rarely used in general conversation. The full form 'supernumerary' is more formal and less frequent.
常見錯誤
2. a person who manages a building, a team of workers, or an operation; a superinte
a person who manages a building, a team of workers, or an operation; a superintendent. 'Supe' is an informal shortening of 'superintendent'.
Amelia called the building supe when the heating system broke down on a freezing night.
building supe = building superintendent
The school supe made sure every classroom was cleaned and ready before the inspection team arrived.
Andrei asked the supe for permission to store his bicycle in the basement room.
The construction site supe checked everyone's safety gear before the shift started.
- superintendent
the full form; more formal and official
- supervisor
broader usage, used across industries and more standard in writing
- manager
more common in business contexts; implies authority over people rather than a building
用法筆記
Primarily used in American English for building or facility management. In workplace settings, 'supervisor' or 'manager' is more formal. Not used for executive-level roles (CEO, director, etc.).
常見錯誤
supe — verb
- supepresent simple I / you / we / they
- supes3rd person singular
- suping-ing form
- supedpast simple
1. to work as a background performer in a film, play, or television show — appearin
to work as a background performer in a film, play, or television show — appearing in crowd scenes without speaking.
Selim has been suping for six years and has appeared in over thirty films as a background figure.
present participle: suping
Many young actors start their careers by suping in big-budget movies to gain on-set experience.
Defne supes whenever the local studio phones for extras on a new production.
The agency pays fifty dollars a day for suping on commercial film shoots in the city.
- work as an extra
the standard, widely understood phrase; preferred over 'supe' in both speech and writing
- do background work
common in the US film industry as a neutral description
用法筆記
Very rare even in film-industry speech; most professionals say 'work as an extra' instead. The -ing form 'suping' is the most common inflection you will encounter.
常見錯誤
2. to make changes to a vehicle — especially a car or motorcycle — in order to incr
to make changes to a vehicle — especially a car or motorcycle — in order to increase its power, speed, or performance. 'Supe' is a shortening of 'soup up'.
William suped up his old motorcycle with a powerful new engine from a racing bike.
phrasal verb: supe up + vehicle
The mechanic suped up the family sedan until it could beat sports cars on the race track.
Tendai spent his entire summer savings suping up his older brother's pickup truck.
You do not need to supe up a family car — it is built for school runs, not racing.
Xiu's father suped up his vintage Mustang and won first prize at the car show.
- soup up
the original full form of the phrasal verb; more standard in writing
- tune up
broader meaning — tuning up can just mean routine maintenance, not performance modification
- customize
wider scope — includes visual and comfort modifications, not just performance
- hop up
slang, especially among American car enthusiasts; interchangeable with 'supe up'
文法句型
supe up + noun phrase
用法筆記
Always requires 'up' as a particle — 'supe' alone is not used in this sense. The full form 'soup up' is more widely understood. Past tense is 'suped up', not 'supped up'.