What does boss mean?
A boss is the person who directs or supervises others' work — a manager, employer, or superior responsible for giving instructions and making decisions within a workplace or organization. The word also works as a verb: to boss people means to order them about, usually in a manner perceived as overbearing, which gives the word a slightly domineering flavor when used this way. Informally, boss can refer more broadly to anyone in charge of a situation, and in some American slang it even means excellent or impressive. Originating in seventeenth-century America from the Dutch word 'baas,' meaning master, boss became popular partly because Americans preferred it over the hierarchical connotations of 'master.' Its derivatives include bossy, describing someone overly fond of giving orders. Today it is one of the most widely understood workplace words in English, neutral when describing hierarchy but pointedly critical when describing behavior.
A person in charge of workers or an organization; a superior or employer.
"Ask your boss if you can leave early."
Neutral in register; suitable in both formal and informal contexts.
To give orders to someone in an overbearing or domineering way.
"He always tries to boss his younger brother around."
Usually followed by 'around'; carries a negative, domineering connotation.
Regular plural; also used as a plural possessive form 'bosses'' for multiple bosses' belongings.
"Both bosses agreed to extend the deadline."
American workers in the 17th century disliked calling anyone 'master,' so they borrowed the Dutch word 'baas' — and that's how every office on Earth came to have a boss.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of boss
Boss entered English in early seventeenth-century America, borrowed from Dutch 'baas,' meaning 'master' or 'overseer,' brought by Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam (later New York). It gained ground partly because many Americans were reluctant to address employers as 'master.' The same Dutch root survives independently in southern Africa as 'baas,' a term used under colonialism for a European master. Related forms such as 'bossy' developed later from the same English headword.
Related word forms
How boss is actually used
The verb form often carries a negative connotation of being pushy or domineering, especially in phrases like 'boss someone around.' The adjective sense meaning 'excellent' exists as informal American slang but is regionally restricted and not universal. In British English, 'governor' or 'guv'nor' sometimes fills a similar informal role.
Easily confused with boss
'Baas' is a South African term for 'master' or 'boss,' borrowed from the same Dutch source, but it is a distinct word used chiefly in southern Africa rather than a variant of 'boss.'