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

Some offices, such as lieutenant governor, treasurer and insurance commissioner, are up for grabs and will see a fresh face take office after the November runoff elections. —James Ward, USA Today, 4 June 2026

The fallout from the First Liberty scandal reaches Georgia’s Republican runoff for lieutenant governor. —Adam Beam, AJC.com, 3 June 2026

But the lieutenant governor serves as acting governor when the governor is out of state, becomes governor if the office becomes vacant and holds seats on influential boards overseeing higher education, public lands and coastal policy. —Grace Hase, Mercury News, 3 June 2026

The lieutenant governor also serves on boards overseeing the state’s public colleges, universities, and community colleges as well as the State Lands Commission and California Commission for Economic Development. —Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 3 June 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