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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Staff at The Free Press are eager to start working with CBS News; reporter Olivia Reingold appeared on CBS News Friday morning to discuss her report that anonymous NYPD officers had been threatening to quit the force if Zohran Mamdani is elected New York City mayor. Max Tani, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2025 The facility, which had about 80 employees, according to the mayor, is about an hour southwest of Nashville, on the Hickman and Humphreys county line. Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2025 Mizrachi, a charismatic figure who became the youngest mayor in his country’s history at 36 in 2024, decided to attend the Latin Grammys ceremony in Miami that year, marking his first experience on the red carpet. Ingrid Fajardo, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2025 Although the mayor and a handful of other city government insiders knew about their relationship, the public remained in the dark. IndyStar, 13 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mayor

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mayor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mayor. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!