governor

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

Updated on: 22 May 2018

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

In 1631, John Winthrop was elected the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

— BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 18 May 2018
So, who can out-Trump Trump may be the name of the game in the Georgia race for the next governor of that state.

— Fox News, "Corey Lewandowski: New political role has Trump's blessing," 17 May 2018
While other sons of Saudi Arabia’s founder grew wealthy from government business, Salman, then the governor of this capital city, supported his family with handouts from his brother the king.

— tory newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Trump's NAFTA pledge in danger as key deadline passes," 17 May 2018
The white-haired Hoosier was struggling for reelection as governor of his state when Trump lifted him to the national ticket and then, astonishingly, to the vice-presidency.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Actually, Pence’s Toadying Is His Best Shot at Becoming President," 17 May 2018
Manchin, the former governor of the state, has voted with president 61 percent of the time in all, according to an analysis by FiveThirtyEight.

— NBC News, "Trump has his sights set on West Virginia for the fall," 17 May 2018
The governor of the Indian state of Karnataka invited the Bharatiya Janata Party to form a government, though two other parties had won a majority of the state legislature between them.

— The Economist, "Politics this week," 17 May 2018
However, the governor of the state, who has the legal power to decide who forms the government, invited the BJP, triggering cries of protest from opposition parties.

— huizhong wu, CNN, "India's BJP forms new government in Karnataka -- for now," 17 May 2018
The Treasury Department said that Valiollah Seif, the governor of the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran, sent the funds to Hezbollah through an Iraqi bank, the al-Bilad Islamic Bank.

— michael r. gordon, WSJ, "U.S. Sanctions Iran’s Central Bank Governor, Alleges Hezbollah Ties," 15 May 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

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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