mayor

noun

may·​or ˈmā-ər How to pronounce mayor (audio) ˈmer How to pronounce mayor (audio)
 especially before names  (ˌ)mer
: an official elected or appointed to act as chief executive or nominal head of a city, town, or borough
mayoral adjective

Examples of mayor in a Sentence

the mayor of New York
Recent Examples on the Web One of his biggest accomplishments as mayor was getting the town’s first sewer system, which is often attributed as a pivotal point to Gilbert’s population growth. Maritza Dominguez, The Arizona Republic, 12 Mar. 2024 Kao ran for city council in 2004 and served as mayor in 2007. Yan Zhao, The Mercury News, 10 Mar. 2024 The migrant arrivals have pitted neighbors against each other, and prompted Democratic mayors like Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to demand Biden's administration respond more forcefully. Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2024 The company was told to vacate the property by April 21, according to the letter from the mayor’s office. Freida Frisaro, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 Brainard took a trip with other mayors to China last November. John Tuohy, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024 Was the corruption within City Hall limited to the mayor, or did the city itself break the rules? Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Park representatives had no immediate response to the county’s actions, but in the past have called Levine Cava’s criticisms of animal care misguided and blamed the conflict on politics as the mayor seeks reelection in August. Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Fortunately, the mayor got to the event and there was no fallout for him, for me or for the city of Jerusalem. Frayda Leibtag, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mayor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English maire, from Anglo-French, from Latin major greater — more at major

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mayor was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near mayor

Cite this Entry

“Mayor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mayor. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mayor

noun
: an official elected to act as head of a city or borough
mayoral adjective

Legal Definition

mayor

noun
may·​or ˈmā-ər, ˈmer How to pronounce mayor (audio)
: an official elected or appointed to act as chief executive or nominal head of a city, town, or borough

More from Merriam-Webster on mayor

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