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

The Takoma Park, Maryland, mayor’s order that people not clap during a public meeting led to insults and even a poll. —Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2026

During the closed-door White House meeting, the mayor appeared to propose 12,000 new housing units in New York City. —David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 27 Feb. 2026

He was elected mayor of the capital, Kathmandu, in 2022 and later left the post to become the National Independent Party's candidate for prime minister. —ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026

This is just another example of fraud, waste and abuse, which seems to be the trademark of this mayor’s office when dealing with taxpayers’ money. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 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