governor

noun

gov·​er·​nor ˈgə-vᵊn-ər 

 also  ˈgə-vər-nər

1

: one that governs: such as

a

: one that exercises authority especially over an area or group

b

: an official elected or appointed to act as ruler, chief executive, or nominal head of a political unit

c

: commanding officer

d

: the managing director and usually the principal officer of an institution or organization

e

: a member of a group that directs or controls an institution or society

2

: tutor

3

a

slang : one looked upon as governing

b

: mister, sir

—usually used as a term of address

4

a

: an attachment to a machine (such as a gasoline engine) for automatic control or limitation of speed

b

: a device giving automatic control (as of pressure or temperature)

governorate

ˈgə-vᵊn-ər-ət 

-ˌāt

 also  ˈgə-vər-nər-

noun

Examples of governor in a Sentence

the governor of the state of Florida

He was the chairman of the board of governors at the school.

the governor of the Bank of England

Wait here while I get the governor.

Recent Examples on the Web

This month, the Republican governor called for a special session of the state legislature to help support Trump’s immigration agenda. —Vanessa G Sánchez and Daniel Chang, CNN, 23 Jan. 2025

And, though the governor hasn’t been out front on the issue, California Atty. —Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Similarly, the governor must realize that legislators won’t cut deeply while huge revenues that could help struggling families are being stashed away. —Keith M. Phaneuf, Hartford Courant, 23 Jan. 2025

Under the bill, public schools would need to submit annual finance reports to a number of state agencies, including the Auditor of Public Accounts, the governor, the Senate Committee on Education and Health, and the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing governor

• governor-general
• lieutenant governor

Kids Definition

governor

noun

gov·​er·​nor ˈgəv(-ə)-nər 

 also  ˈgəv-ər-nər

1

: one that governs

especially : an official elected or appointed to act as ruler, chief executive, or head of a political unit (as a colony, state, or province)

2

: an attachment to a machine for automatic control of speed

governorship

-ˌship

noun

Legal Definition

governor

noun

gov·​er·​nor ˈgə-vər-nər 

: one that governs: as

a

: one that exercises authority especially over an area or group

b

: an official elected or appointed to act as ruler, chief executive, or nominal head of a political unit

specifically : the chief executive of a U.S. state

c

: the managing director and usually the principal officer of an institution or organization

d

: a member of a group that controls or directs an institution

the Federal Reserve System's Board of Governors

governorship noun