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

His tenure as mayor was during a tumultuous time, as debates over diversity, equity and inclusion drew national attention. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Oct. 2025

The program was established by the mayor of London, Projekt and Paul Smith’s Foundation with support from British GQ and enabled through the City of London Corp. —Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025

Elegant tributes to Blanc’s vision and the stature the city of Hyères gained under his watch were offered by Pascale Mussard, president of the Villa Noailles association; Jean-Pierre Giran, the mayor of Hyères; and Pascal Morand, the executive president of the FCHM. —Vogue, 20 Oct. 2025

Ron Vachris, shaking hands and greeting babies, had the mild civic familiarity of a small-town mayor. —Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 20 Oct. 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