governance

noun

gov·​er·​nance ˈgə-vər-nən(t)s 

plural governances

: the act or process of governing or overseeing the control and direction of something (such as a country or an organization) : government

a centralized system of governance

the challenges of national governance

… the governance of amateur sport in America …

—P. S. Wood

… three years before he died, [Lionel] Trilling pressed the point that the way a nation thinks determines in the end the quality of its governance.

—Benjamin DeMott

Enron, and the corporate disasters that followed, forced many companies to get serious about governance.

—Louis Lavelle

Theirs was the perennial problem of quick-witted subjects under the governance of dull-witted administrators.

—Declan Kiberd

Michael Dukakis, at the 1988 Democratic convention, said governance was about competence, not ideology. He got it half right: Competence is important to governance, but ideology is critical …

—U.S. News & World Report

Synonyms of governance

• government
• administration
• rule
• regime

Examples of governance in a Sentence

They have very different approaches to the governance of the city.

after World War II, the four Allied nations shared the governance of the territory of postwar Germany under the Allied Control Council

Recent Examples on the Web

Americans deserve the facts and can decide for themselves whether this looks like acceptable governance or something closer to self-dealing. — Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026

Her remit includes safeguarding the group’s interests and overseeing compliance while working with executive management and Kering’s board of directors on governance and risk. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 18 Sep. 2026

Shortly after the explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, media archives show there was a mix of public reassurance, worry, and debate over international nuclear governance. — J.d. Capelouto, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026

The governance and funding structure should be designed to survive a prolonged period of capacity building without imposing premature exit pressure. — Radu Magdin, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see govern

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing governance

• self-governance

Kids Definition

governance

noun

gov·​er·​nance ˈgəv-ər-nən(t)s 

: the exercise of control : government