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

Those include statewide races for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, controller, treasurer, attorney general and superintendent of public instruction. —Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026

Husted, who formerly served as Ohio's lieutenant governor and as secretary of state after a decade in the state legislature, is defending the seat for the first time. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 6 May 2026

Her pick for lieutenant governor is David Pepper, a lawyer and the former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party. —The New Yorker, New Yorker, 5 May 2026

Californians this year will elect a new lieutenant governor — the second in command in the state who sits on several key commissions related to higher education, land use and economic development — a new treasurer, and a new state superintendent of public instruction. —Grace Hase, Mercury News, 4 May 2026

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