foreman

/ˈfɔrmən/

/ˈfɔmɛn/

Other forms: foremen

On many job sites, the boss or supervisor is called the foreman. If you get a job on a construction crew, the foreman is the person in charge.

While the supervisor in an office, hospital, or school has a totally different title, in manual labor it's common to use the word foreman. This is true in factories and plants, as well as on ranches and railroads. Even on a jury there's a foreman, the member who announces the group's verdict. A woman in one of these roles might be called foreman, forewoman, or foreperson. A simpler, gender-neutral compromise is to use "supervisor" instead.

Definitions of foreman

1. noun

   a person who exercises control over workers
   “if you want to leave early you have to ask the foreman”

   synonyms: boss, chief, gaffer, honcho

   types:

   baas

   South African term for `boss'

   ganger

   the foreman of a work gang

   assistant foreman, straw boss

   a member of a work gang who supervises the other workers

   type of:

   supervisor

   one who supervises or has charge and direction of
2. noun

   one who is the foreperson of a jury
   type of:

   foreperson

   the presiding member of the jury and the one who speaks on their behalf