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

Donlon’s lawsuit was just one of several complaints brought by veteran police officials who alleged a culture of rampant corruption and cronyism within the agency during Adams' time as mayor. —Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026

The second meeting did not appear on the mayor’s public schedule. —Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026

The mayor said his city will respect the donor’s wishes and use the gift to improve waterworks projects. —Mari Yamaguchi, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026

For four decades, Jesse Malin was the music mayor of New York’s East Village. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 20 Feb. 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