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

Burnham has made devolution a major theme since taking office less than two months ago, but his focus has been on regional governments across England, a reflection of his years as mayor of Greater Manchester. — Brian Melley, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026

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

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