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

Dame Andrea Jenkyns being announced as a Reform mayor for neighbouring Greater Lincolnshire that morning had signalled which way the wind was blowing. —Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 2 May 2025

Prior to his election as mayor of Hartford, Bronin served as general counsel to then-Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and as deputy assistant secretary for terrorist financing and financial crimes at the U.S. Department of Treasury during the Obama administration. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 2 May 2025

The mayor’s lobbying arm in the state capital has struggled over recent months. —Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2025

Local officials, including the mayor and sheriff, acknowledged the need to address safety issues and plan to engage in community discussions to find solutions. —Deontay Smith, USA Today, 30 Apr. 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