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

As well as the presidency, voters are deciding on all 128 members of the National Congress, 298 mayors and over 2,000 municipal councilors. —Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Dec. 2025

Typically, the mayor has a vote on the council and the administrative tasks are given to a city manager who works for the City Council. —Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Dec. 2025

As a result, the collapse of Stockmann’s crusade feels rushed—especially in the pivotal town-meeting scene, in which his brother, the mayor, outmaneuvers him and fellow-citizens shout him down. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

Voters in several cities across north and south Fulton County are heading back to the polls Tuesday for runoff elections to decide new mayors and city council members. —Cbs News Atlanta Digital Team, CBS News, 1 Dec. 2025

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