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

In the November midterm elections, several candidates for governor and congressional offices campaigned — and won — on their climate change bona fides. — Umair Irfan, Vox, "Climate and energy news in 2018 actually wasn’t all bad," 1 Jan. 2019 The secretary drew sharp criticism for opening up federal waters adjacent to states that didn't want offshore drilling, while exempting Florida from the same treatment after a meeting from the state's Republican governor. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Trump will replace Interior Department Secretary next week," 16 Dec. 2018 Sam Houston, who served as the governor of Tennessee and then a senator in Texas in the mid-1800s. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "America Could Elect More Than 100 Women to the House For the First Time in History," 7 Nov. 2018 Maxwell was handpicked for the job by County Executive Rushern L Baker III, who was seeking the Democratic nomination for governor and widely viewed as vulnerable on education issues. — Donna St. George, Washington Post, "Maryland schools CEO handed six-figure severance payout," 12 July 2018 The governor’s office says that the bloom has spread to both of Florida’s coasts because the Army Corps of Engineers has been discharging algae-containing water from Lake Okeechobee to various rivers and estuaries. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "A Toxic Algal Bloom Is Spreading in Florida’s Waterways," 10 July 2018 On Sunday, a far-right candidate for governor backed by Mr. Salvini’s League party won the Abruzzo election. — Giovanni Legorano, WSJ, "Italy’s Far-Right Firebrand Takes Aim at Europe," 13 Feb. 2019 Republicans mocked the pick of a candidate who lost her race for governor just three months ago. — Tamar Hallerman, The Seattle Times, "‘Terrified’ Stacey Abrams prepares to counterpunch Trump’s State of Union," 5 Feb. 2019 In a thrilling bit of political news, Stacey Abrams, Georgia’s 2018 Democratic candidate for governor, will deliver the Democratic response to Trump’s State of the Union. — Bridget Read, Vogue, "Stacey Abrams Will Give the Democratic Response to the State of the Union," 29 Jan. 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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13 Mar 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