stadt·hold·er
ˈstat-ˌhōl-dər 
1
: a viceroy in a province of the Netherlands
2
: a chief executive officer of the provinces that formed a union leading to establishment of the Netherlands
plural -s
: the office or position of a stadtholder
Examples of stadtholder in a Sentence
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Literary Hub, 7 May 2025
Both eventually appointed William as stadtholder—steward or governor—making him, in effect, the leader of the republic.
—Allan Massie, WSJ, 6 Oct. 2021
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Noun
However, James was in his fifties, and his heir, Mary, firmly Protestant, was married to William of Orange, stadtholder of the Netherlands and a stalwart of the Dutch armed struggle against Spain, one of Europe’s great Catholic monarchies.
—Literary Hub, 7 May 2025
Both eventually appointed William as stadtholder—steward or governor—making him, in effect, the leader of the republic.
—Allan Massie, WSJ, 6 Oct. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Stadtholder.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stadtholder. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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