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

Patrick, a former state senator and conservative talk radio host from Houston, has held the lieutenant governor’s office for 10 years, wielding enormous control over the legislative agenda and the fate of bills in the state Senate. —Karen Brooks Harper austin Bureau, Dallas Morning News, 3 Mar. 2026

Governor candidates don’t select their lieutenant governor running mates. —Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026

Fifty-one percent had no opinion and 31% were neutral about the Newsmax cable host and former New York lieutenant governor. —Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 26 Feb. 2026

Spanberger ultimately declared victory with a more than 15 point-margin against her Republican opponent, then-lieutenant governor Winsome Earle-Sears, and flipped control of the governor’s mansion in the process. —Chantelle Lee, Time, 24 Feb. 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