lieutenant governor

noun

: a deputy or subordinate governor: such as

a

: an elected official serving as deputy to the governor of an American state

b

: the formal head of the government of a Canadian province appointed by the federal government as the representative of the crown

lieutenant governorship noun

Examples of lieutenant governor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mandela Barnes, the former lieutenant governor of Wisconsin and 2022 Democratic Senate nominee, dropped out of the Democratic gubernatorial primary race on Thursday. — Joseph Nepomuceno, The Washington Examiner, 30 July 2026

Evers chose to endorse him over Barnes, who served as his lieutenant governor in his first term. — ABC News, 30 July 2026

Crowley, who has the governor's endorsement, and Barnes, who served as Evers' lieutenant governor in his first term, also tried to portray themselves as outsiders. — CBS News, 29 July 2026

He was accompanied by Gloria Romero, a former Democratic state lawmaker who switched parties in 2024 and is this year’s Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. — Michael R. Blood, Fortune, 23 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lieutenant governor

noun

1

: an elected official serving as deputy to the governor of an American state

2

: the formal head of the government of a Canadian province appointed to represent the crown