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

Today, 55% of the city's residents have Middle Eastern ancestry, and the mayor, police chief, and schools superintendent are all Muslims of Arab descent. — Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 12 Sep. 2026

The 34-year-old mayor was an elementary school student in New York on 9/11. — Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2026

Cohen succeeds Erin Connelly, who reinstated regular press briefings and oversaw substantial growth in the mayor’s social media reach during her two years as communications director. — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

In the quarter-century since, Muslim Americans have played a growing role in public life from statehouses to Congress to New York City Hall, where Zohran Mamdani is the city’s first Muslim mayor. — Jennifer Peltz, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 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