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

The current system was adopted by voters in 1958 following a notorious political scandal that saw a sitting governor conspire with the chief justice and his lieutenant governor to be appointed to the court after losing re-election. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026

The system was implemented in 1958 following corruption scandal that saw the sitting governor conspire with the chief justice and the lieutenant governor to be appointed to the court after losing a re-election bid, according to the Kansas City Star. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026

Mandela Barnes, the former lieutenant governor of Wisconsin and 2022 Democratic Senate nominee, dropped out of the Democratic gubernatorial primary race on Thursday. — Joseph Nepomuceno, The Washington Examiner, 30 July 2026

Evers chose to endorse him over Barnes, who served as his lieutenant governor in his first term. — ABC News, 30 July 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