lieutenant governor

noun

: a deputy or subordinate governor: such as

a

: an elected official serving as deputy to the governor of an American state

b

: the formal head of the government of a Canadian province appointed by the federal government as the representative of the crown

lieutenant governorship noun

Examples of lieutenant governor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As well as choosing attorney general, voters are electing a governor, lieutenant governor and all 100 seats in the House of Delegates. —Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025

Abigail Spanberger, a former member of Congress, is the Democratic candidate, and Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate, is the commonwealth's current lieutenant governor. —Margaret Barthel, NPR, 16 Oct. 2025

Hashmi, who flipped a suburban Richmond seat in 2019 to become the first Muslim woman elected to the Virginia Senate, has not committed to any lieutenant governor debates this cycle. —Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 16 Oct. 2025

Three members each would be appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the Texas House. —Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

lieutenant governor

noun

1

: an elected official serving as deputy to the governor of an American state

2

: the formal head of the government of a Canadian province appointed to represent the crown