superintendent

/ˌsuːpərɪnˈtendənt/ (bre, ipa) · [sˌupɚəntˈɛndənt] /ˌsuːpərɪnˈtendənt/ (ame, ipa) · [sˌupɚəntˈɛndənt] /ˌsü-p(ə-)rin-ˈten-dənt ˌsü-pərn-/ (ame, mw)

superintendent — noun

  • superintendentsingular
  • superintendentsplural

1. a person hired to oversee the work of other people in an organisation — for exam

1.名詞B2
釋義

a person hired to oversee the work of other people in an organisation — for example, a school district or a large company — or to keep a building clean, safe, and in good repair.

例句

The superintendent of schools announced new safety rules for all high school sports teams.

superintendent of [organisation]

Kabir called the building superintendent because water was leaking through the ceiling of his apartment.

building superintendent

同義詞
  • manager

    more general; can refer to any level of authority, not necessarily the head of a whole site

  • director

    formal; often used for education and corporate heads

  • caretaker

    specifically for building maintenance; slightly less formal than 'superintendent'

  • custodian

    North American term for a building cleaner or janitor; lower status

文法句型

superintendent + of + [organisation/building]

用法筆記

In the US and Canada, 'superintendent' often refers to the head of a school district. In apartment buildings, the superintendent (or 'super') lives on-site and handles maintenance tasks. Distinguish from 'supervisor', which describes a lower-level manager who oversees a small team rather than an entire operation.

常見錯誤

❌The superintendent of the apartment asked us to pay rent.
✅The building superintendent asked us to pay rent.
💡For a building caretaker, use 'building superintendent' or 'super' to be clear; 'apartment superintendent' is less common.
❌She was promoted to superintendent of the sales team.
✅She was promoted to supervisor of the sales team.
💡'Superintendent' is for an entire site or organisation, not a single team.

2. a police officer in the UK with a rank above chief inspector, typically responsi

2.名詞C1
釋義

a police officer in the UK with a rank above chief inspector, typically responsible for managing a group of police stations or leading a major investigation.

例句

The superintendent arrived at the crime scene to take charge of the investigation.

superintendent takes charge

Darius was promoted to superintendent after serving as a chief inspector for seven years.

promoted to superintendent

同義詞

文法句型

[name/rank] + superintendent

superintendent + of + [division/area]

用法筆記

This rank exists only in the UK and some Commonwealth police forces. Above superintendent is chief superintendent, and below is chief inspector. Distinguish from sense 1: a police superintendent is always a high-ranking officer, never a building caretaker.

常見錯誤

❌The building superintendent called the police about the noise.' (when meaning a police rank)
✅The police superintendent called about the noise.
💡Add 'police' or 'police superintendent' to avoid confusion with the building caretaker sense.