governor

noun

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

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

3a slang : one looked upon as governing

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

4a : 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)

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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 on the Web

Sanders is headed back home to Arkansas; she's reportedly talked about running for governor. — Doug Criss, CNN, "5 things to know for June 14: Iran, White House, vaccines, Sudan, moon landing," 14 June 2019 In fact, Ohio is one of just six states that has never seen a major party nominate a woman for governor. — Jackie Borchardt, Cincinnati.com, "100 years later, Ohio's track record of electing female leaders remains abysmal," 12 June 2019 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released the results of its latest round of elections for the organization's board of governors on Tuesday. — Josh Rottenberg, latimes.com, "Board of governors elections boost diversity for film academy," 11 June 2019 Cuccinelli is a former Virginia attorney general who ran for governor of Virginia, but lost to Democrat Terry McAuliffe in 2013. — Time, "Ken Cuccinelli Named Acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director," 10 June 2019 Currently president-elect, Sosin will become president of the 27-member board of governors of the association, which oversees the operation and management of the bar association. — Mike Nolan, Daily Southtown, "Orland attorney new president of state bar association," 7 June 2019 Beshear has been Bevin's chief adversary in Frankfort since 2015, and at the time was considered the favorite in the Democratic primary for governor. — Phillip M. Bailey, The Courier-Journal, "Lt. Gov. Jenean Hampton's fired aide was investigating the Bevin administration," 5 June 2019 Libertarians, too, are stirring; the Libertarian party’s candidate for governor of California in 1978 received 5 percent of the vote, while its 1972 presidential candidate won as many electoral votes as Walter B. Jones did in 1956. — Richard Brookhiser, National Review, "Moving Portrait," 4 June 2019 By Nicole Galloway is starting to sound like a candidate for governor. — Jason Hancock, kansascity, "Missouri’s new abortion ban has Nicole Galloway leaning toward campaign for governor," 4 June 2019

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.

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19 Jun 2019

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The first known use of governor was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for governor

governor

noun

English Language Learners Definition of governor

: 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.

chiefly British : a person who is in charge of a school, prison, or other large organization or institution

See the full definition for governor in the English Language Learners Dictionary

governor

noun

gov·er·nor | \ ˈgə-vər-nər

, ˈgə-və-nər\

Kids Definition of governor

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

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 the Federal Reserve System's Board of Governors