as in controlled
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1
as in ruled
to exercise authority or power over
the president is elected in order to govern the country, not to follow public opinion polls
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2
as in regulated
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)
you need to govern your speech and be able to communicate your outrage without resorting to profanity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in operated
to look after and make decisions about
the company's finances are governed by its chief financial officer
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Recent Examples of governed
Sean Nathaniel, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Hogan governed for eight years under that principle.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 5 Feb. 2026
That’s a problem because until very recently the performance of the S&P 500 was governed by the heavy weight of tech stocks, like Alphabet, within it.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
There is still no agreement on how the country is to be governed afterwards, and concerns about armed gangs turning to violence have grown.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
Local transit leadership will be governed by a new board created by Springfield that removes mayoral control of the CTA, though Johnson still has the power to choose the next president free from oversight before June.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
An ordinary bettor may be guided by team loyalty, intuition, or emotion—Walters was governed by dispassionate information.
—Dan Piepenbring, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
But even the fact that some of them are inspired to consider helping out makes for significant progress in a world that is governed by survivalism and animalistic self-interest.
—Jack King, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
By law, the Kennedy Center is governed by its full board, while its federal funding for operations and facilities is reviewed and approved by Congress.
—E. Andrew Taylor, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
But done intelligently, archiving ensures that all data, whether active or dormant, remains accessible, governed and usable.
—Sean Nathaniel, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
This is the sort of managerial aimlessness the Post is being governed by, just one example of the missteps and squandering of opportunity framed as strategy.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2026
Hogan governed for eight years under that principle.
—Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 5 Feb. 2026
That’s a problem because until very recently the performance of the S&P 500 was governed by the heavy weight of tech stocks, like Alphabet, within it.
—Jim Edwards, Fortune, 5 Feb. 2026
There is still no agreement on how the country is to be governed afterwards, and concerns about armed gangs turning to violence have grown.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
Local transit leadership will be governed by a new board created by Springfield that removes mayoral control of the CTA, though Johnson still has the power to choose the next president free from oversight before June.
—Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
An ordinary bettor may be guided by team loyalty, intuition, or emotion—Walters was governed by dispassionate information.
—Dan Piepenbring, New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2026
But even the fact that some of them are inspired to consider helping out makes for significant progress in a world that is governed by survivalism and animalistic self-interest.
—Jack King, Vulture, 4 Feb. 2026
By law, the Kennedy Center is governed by its full board, while its federal funding for operations and facilities is reviewed and approved by Congress.
—E. Andrew Taylor, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for governed
Adjective
-
Thiesse is his antithesis – quiet, controlled and polite.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Not in an overly aggressive way, just pretty controlled, moving the ball around.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
2 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, municipal courts around the state are adjusting to a new normal after the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in December that cities cannot punish lawbreakers beyond what state statute would allow for the same offenses.—
Sam Tabachnik,
Denver Post,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Whether a judge has ruled on Seraphine’s placement is unclear because the proceedings are closed to the public.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
After independence, more banks regulated by individual states, if at all, were established.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Authored the Cultivate Texas Act—responsible adult legalization (age 21+, regulated like alcohol, strict youth prevention/testing) generating billions for property tax elimination and schools.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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These aircraft are operated by the United States in Japan, the US Navy carrier groups, and the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The 65,000-square-foot space will be operated by AEG Presents and is expected to open next year.—
Travis Webb,
Austin American Statesman,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The best-selling book contained several bombshell revelations, many of which were related to Spears’ controversial conservatorship, which finally ended in 2021.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Fungi fossils preserved in the chert contained compounds from the breakdown of chitin and glucan, key structural molecules in fungi.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The court filings have managed to make a public spectacle out of the private communications of Taylor Swift, Matt Damon, Sony Motion Picture Group CEO Tom Rothman, WME agent Warren Zavala — among others.—
Rebecca Keegan,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
-
To date, astronomers have managed to detect about 300 such mergers via their associated crescendos of gravitational waves.—
Phil Plait,
Scientific American,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Strikingly, Mary felt that semaglutide had not only curbed her first-order desire to drink but also helped her act on second-order desires.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Since then, several hospitals have curbed or stopped providing gender-affirming care for minors.—
Jolene Almendarez,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
2 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Animation is supervised by Jakub Pištecký, whose credits include Rango, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Avengers.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Each exercise session was supervised and followed a clear structure, Muotri says.—
Tom Gavin,
EverydayHealth.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Governed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/governed. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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