mayor

noun

may·​or ˈmā-ər  ˈmer 

especially before names (ˌ)mer

: an official elected or appointed to act as chief executive or nominal head of a city, town, or borough

mayoral

ˈmā-ə-rəl 

ˈmer-əl;

  ˌmā-ˈȯr-əl 

adjective

Examples of mayor in a Sentence

the mayor of New York

Recent Examples on the Web

Fourteen Angelenos have qualified to run for mayor, including incumbent Karen Bass, City Councilmember Nithya Raman and former reality TV star Spencer Pratt. —Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2026

The wild card in the governor’s race is Mike Duggan, a former Detroit mayor running as an independent. —Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026

There was a Katharine Blodgett Day in Schenectady, June 13th, established by the mayor in 1951, but that has since disappeared from the city’s calendar. —Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026

This protest is especially odd given that City Hall is currently led by a mayor who worked for CTU and rose to power with the union’s strong support. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English maire, from Anglo-French, from Latin major greater — more at major

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mayor

• gayer
• grayer
• greyer
• layer
• nayar
• payer
• payor
• peyer
• player
• preyer
• sayer
• slayer

Kids Definition

mayor

noun

may·​or ˈmā-ər  ˈme(-)ər 

: an official elected to act as head of a city or borough

mayoral

ˈmā-ə-rəl  ˈme- ə- 

adjective

Legal Definition

mayor

noun

may·​or ˈmā-ər, ˈmer 

: an official elected or appointed to act as chief executive or nominal head of a city, town, or borough