governor

noun

gov·​er·​nor ˈgə-vᵊn-ər 

also ˈgə-vər-nər

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

the state's governor

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

the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve

2

: tutor

3

a

slang : one looked upon as governing

b

British, informal : 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

ˈgə-vᵊn-ər-ət 

-ˌāt

also ˈgə-vər-nər-

noun

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

No matter where, no matter when, Rick Jackson — the GOP billionaire candidate for Georgia governor — starts to choke up. — Patricia Murphy, AJC.com, 23 July 2026

Along with his wife, Sara Morrison, the governor moved back from Raleigh to Charlotte and built the 3,000-acre Morrocroft estate in south Charlotte. — Chase Jordan july 23, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026

Kansas’ three Democratic governor hopefuls dug in on the issues and took shots at each other’s integrity and effectiveness in an hourlong Tuesday-evening television debate hosted by Topeka’s WIBW. — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026

This from the same governor and board of education that would later in 2023 update public school history curriculum statewide to assert that Black people benefitted from slavery in certain aspects. — Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing governor

• governor-general
• lieutenant governor

Kids Definition

governor

noun

gov·​er·​nor ˈgəv(-ə)-nər 

also ˈgəv-ər-nər

1

: one that governs

especially : an official elected or appointed to act as ruler, chief executive, or head of a political unit (as a colony, state, or province)

2

: an attachment to a machine for automatic control of speed

governorship

-ˌship

noun

Legal Definition

governor

noun

gov·​er·​nor ˈgə-vər-nər 

: 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

governorship noun