governor

noun gov·er·nor \ ˈgə-vᵊn-ər also ˈgə-vər-nər \

|Updated on: 17 Jul 2018

Examples: governor in a Sentence

Definition of governor

1 : one that governs: such as

a : one that exercises authority especially over an area or group

b : an official elected or appointed to act as ruler, chief executive, or nominal head of a political unit

c : commanding officer

d : the managing director and usually the principal officer of an institution or organization

e : a member of a group that directs or controls an institution or society

2 : tutor

3 a slang : one looked upon as governing

b : mister, sir —usually used as a term of address

4 a : an attachment to a machine (such as a gasoline engine) for automatic control or limitation of speed

b : a device giving automatic control (as of pressure or temperature)

—

governorate

play \ˈgə-vᵊn-ər-ət, -ˌāt also ˈgə-vər-nər-\ noun

See governor defined for English-language learners

See governor defined for kids

Examples of governor in a Sentence

the governor of the state of Florida
He was the chairman of the board of governors at the school.
the governor of the Bank of England
Wait here while I get the governor.

Recent Examples of governor from the Web

Canada’s governor general struggled to live down perceived inappropriate touching of the Queen last year.

— natasha bach, Fortune, "President Trump Will Meet Queen Elizabeth II on Friday. Here's What He Should—and Shouldn't Do," 12 July 2018
Following the crash that killed a 49-year-old pedestrian, Arizona’s governor banned the company from testing on public roads.

— andrew j. hawkins, The Verge, "Uber laid off its self-driving car safety drivers in Pittsburgh," 11 July 2018
All five Democrats seeking their party’s nomination for Florida governor issued statements or tweeted varying levels of criticism for the Kavanaugh nomination.

— anthony man, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Florida leaders divided over Trump nominee Brett Kavanaugh for Supreme Court," 10 July 2018
Down in Georgia, longtime Republican lieutenant governor Casey Cagle is locked in a close runoff race for governor with longtime secretary of State Brian Kemp.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "GOP Gubernatorial Candidate: Primary Was About Who Could Be the Craziest," 9 July 2018
Passakorn Boonyalak, Chiang Rai’s deputy governor, told the Telegraph.

— madeleine aggeler, The Cut, "Former Navy SEAL Diver Dies Trying to Save Thai Soccer Team Trapped in Cave," 6 July 2018
Andrew Cuomo, the state’s governor, announced last year.

— The Economist, "What’s left?To win back power, Democrats must do things that make them uncomfortable," 14 July 2018
Indiana’s payout limit was $2 million per site until Mike Pence as governor increased it to $2.5 million in 2016.

— bradford betz, Fox News, "Cleanups at Pence family's failed gas stations costing taxpayers millions: report," 14 July 2018
Under the new law, governors designated up to 25% of qualifying low-income census tracts as opportunity zones.

— richard rubin, WSJ, "New Hotel or Affordable Housing? Race Is On to Define ‘Opportunity Zones’," 13 July 2018

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

First Known Use of governor

14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

GOVERNOR Defined for English Language Learners

governor

noun

Definition of governor for English Language Learners

: a person who is the leader of the government of a state, province, etc.
: a person who is part of a group of people who control a large organization, school, etc.
: a person who is in charge of a school, prison, or other large organization or institution

GOVERNOR Defined for Kids

governor

noun gov·er·nor \ ˈgə-vər-nər , ˈgə-və-nər \

Definition of governor for Students

: a person who governs and especially the elected head of a state of the United States

Law Dictionary

governor

noun gov·er·nor \ ˈgə-vər-nər \

legal Definition of governor

: one that governs: as

a : one that exercises authority especially over an area or group

b : an official elected or appointed to act as ruler, chief executive, or nominal head of a political unit; specifically : the chief executive of a U.S. state

c : the managing director and usually the principal officer of an institution or organization

d : a member of a group that controls or directs an institution