"boss" meaning in English

See boss in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Adjective

IPA: /bɒs/ [UK], /bɑs/ [US] Audio: en-us-boss.ogg [US] Forms: boss [positive], more boss [comparative], most boss [superlative]
enPR: bäs [US] Head templates: {{adj|more=true}} [POS TABLE]
  1. If something is boss, it is very good.
    Sense id: simple-boss-en-adj-lIZ9FfcC Categories (other): Slang

Noun

IPA: /bɒs/ [UK], /bɑs/ [US] Audio: en-us-boss.ogg [US] Forms: boss [singular], bosses [plural]
enPR: bäs [US] Head templates: {{noun|2=bosses}} [POS TABLE]
  1. Your boss is the person who tells you what to do at work.
    Sense id: simple-boss-en-noun-BZthmkTp
  2. A boss is a leader in an organisation.
    Sense id: simple-boss-en-noun-SAfdGDFT

Verb

IPA: /bɒs/ [UK], /bɑs/ [US] Audio: en-us-boss.ogg [US] Forms: boss [canonical], bosses [third-person, singular], bossed [past], bossed [past, participle], bossing [present, participle]
enPR: bäs [US] Head templates: {{verb|boss|es}} [POS TABLE]
  1. If you boss somebody around/about, you tell them what to do, especially when you don't have any special power to do so.
    Sense id: simple-boss-en-verb-PbHlA0f1
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "boss",
      "tags": [
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bosses",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "2": "bosses"
      },
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "My former boss was very happy for the chance to fire me."
        },
        {
          "text": "I started the company because I wanted to be my own boss."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Your boss is the person who tells you what to do at work."
      ],
      "id": "simple-boss-en-noun-BZthmkTp",
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The Mayor was an old-style political boss who made his own decisions."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A boss is a leader in an organisation."
      ],
      "id": "simple-boss-en-noun-SAfdGDFT",
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bɒs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bQs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "bäs",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɑs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bAs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-boss.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "boss"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "boss",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bosses",
      "tags": [
        "third-person",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bossed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bossed",
      "tags": [
        "past",
        "participle"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bossing",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "participle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "boss",
        "2": "es"
      },
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "This was just another occasion when Indians were bossed around by white people."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you boss somebody around/about, you tell them what to do, especially when you don't have any special power to do so."
      ],
      "id": "simple-boss-en-verb-PbHlA0f1",
      "raw_tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bɒs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bQs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "bäs",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɑs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bAs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-boss.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "boss"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "boss",
      "tags": [
        "positive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "more boss",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most boss",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "more": "true"
      },
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Slang",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If something is boss, it is very good."
      ],
      "id": "simple-boss-en-adj-lIZ9FfcC",
      "raw_tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bɒs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bQs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "bäs",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɑs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bAs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-boss.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "boss"
}
{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "boss",
      "tags": [
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bosses",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "2": "bosses"
      },
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Countable nouns"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "My former boss was very happy for the chance to fire me."
        },
        {
          "text": "I started the company because I wanted to be my own boss."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Your boss is the person who tells you what to do at work."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Countable nouns"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The Mayor was an old-style political boss who made his own decisions."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A boss is a leader in an organisation."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "countable"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bɒs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bQs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "bäs",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɑs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bAs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-boss.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "boss"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "boss",
      "tags": [
        "canonical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bosses",
      "tags": [
        "third-person",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bossed",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bossed",
      "tags": [
        "past",
        "participle"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "bossing",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "participle"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "boss",
        "2": "es"
      },
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Transitive verbs"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "This was just another occasion when Indians were bossed around by white people."
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If you boss somebody around/about, you tell them what to do, especially when you don't have any special power to do so."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "transitive"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bɒs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bQs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "bäs",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɑs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bAs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-boss.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "boss"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "boss",
      "tags": [
        "positive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "more boss",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "most boss",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "more": "true"
      },
      "expansion": "[POS TABLE]",
      "name": "adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Slang"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "If something is boss, it is very good."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "slang"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/bɒs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bQs/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "bäs",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/bɑs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "sampa": "/bAs/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "en-us-boss.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "boss"
}

Download raw JSONL data for boss meaning in English (2.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-10-17 from the simplewiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (1fa2fea and a709d4b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.