govern

verb

gov·ern | \ ˈgə-vərn

governed; governing; governs

Definition of govern

1a : to exercise continuous sovereign authority over especially : to control and direct the making and administration of policy in The country was governed by a king.

b : to rule without sovereign power and usually without having the authority to determine basic policy

2a archaic : manipulate

b : to control the speed of (a machine) especially by automatic means

3a : to control, direct, or strongly influence the actions and conduct of

b : to exert a determining or guiding influence in or over income must govern expenditure

c : to hold in check : restrain was told to govern her emotions

4 : to require (a word) to be in a certain case

5 : to serve as a precedent or deciding principle for customs that govern human decisions

intransitive verb

1 : to prevail or have decisive influence : control In all situations allow reason to govern.

2 : to exercise authority

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Examples of govern in a Sentence

The tribe is governed by a 10-member council. They want to form their own country and govern themselves. The scandal limited her ability to govern effectively. How would he govern if he were elected president? She suggested changing the state's laws governing the sale of alcohol. The council governs fishing in the region. We will be studying the forces that govern the Earth's climate. Tradition governs all aspects of their lives. He allows himself to be governed by his emotions.

Recent Examples on the Web

Moreno said among his reasons for denying the water district’s motion is that its governing board is being largely replaced by new Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has made the environment a top priority. — Curt Anderson, The Seattle Times, "Judge won’t end decades-old Everglades cleanup oversight," 11 Feb. 2019 And though countries around the world are investing in the technology and research, there is no international framework governing this type of engineering. — Angela Chen, The Verge, "If someone wants to create gene-edited babies, who would stop them?," 26 Nov. 2018 The Tenth House also governs public image, professional aspirations, and career achievements. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "The 12 Astrological Houses: Interpreting Your Birth Chart Beyond the Zodiac," 6 Oct. 2018 Bylaws should speak to how the corporation is governed – such as corporate powers and limits and board eligibility. — Kelly G. Richardson, sandiegouniontribune.com, "HOA Homefront: Are these rules valid?," 14 July 2018 The resulting 42-page draft, published two months ago, is the first rewrite of OSHA regulations governing firefighter safety in decades. — Mike Hendricks, kansascity, "Firefighters protect us. Who protects them?," 13 July 2018 And the regulations governing return are convoluted and confusing. — Jennifer Couzin-frankel, Science | AAAS, "Report advocates broader return of research results," 10 July 2018 Yeah, Intrepid looks after employees, looks after the environment, looks after the communities, and travels and governs itself in the right way. — Bridget Hallinan, Condé Nast Traveler, "Innovators: Leigh Barnes of the Intrepid Group on Being a More Conscious Traveler," 16 Nov. 2018 The governing coalition and the Communists are united in rejecting any compulsory distribution of migrants in the European Union. — Washington Post, "New Czech government wins confidence vote in Parliament," 11 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'govern.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.