governed 1 of 2

adjective

as in controlled

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governed

2 of 2

verb

past tense of govern
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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of governed
Adjective
The ability to operationalize intelligence in a sustainable, secure, governed and ever-improving ecosystem will be a source of competitive advantage. — Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Verb
Integration initiatives should be governed against the M&A business case to ensure the execution milestones are tracked against the value in the deal thesis, not just deadlines. — Tipu Usha Vaithee Swaran, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Having a single board means that all appeals and applications would be governed by the same logic. — Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026 On June 15, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that the devices are slot machines governed by the state’s gambling and criminal laws. — Jonathan Caulkins, The Conversation, 30 Sep. 2026 China claims the island as its territory, but the People’s Republic of China has not governed it for even a single day. — Eryk Michael Smith, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026 The hidden violence of cavitation For a long time, computational models treated water droplets as simple, uniform spheres governed primarily by their outer surface tension. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026 It must be located in or serving a high-need community, governed by a community board made up of at least 51% health center patients, charge patients for healthcare services based on their ability to pay and receive a Health Center Program award. — Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026 The Smithsonian is independent of the executive branch, governed by a 17-member board led by the chief justice of the Supreme Court and with six members of Congress, three from each party, serving with nine private citizens and the vice president. — Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 24 Sep. 2026 The cruise line also shared that the joint venture will be governed by a board led by Stewart and Liberty. — Patrick Connolly, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for governed
  1. controlled
  2. ruled
  3. regulated
  4. operated
  5. constrained
  6. contained
  7. managed
  8. restrained
Adjective
  • Those tests have covered both controlled and uncontrolled airspace.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Which in layman’s terms means the Canvas L can produce more precise, controlled and transparent sound.
    — John Archer, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
Definition of controlled
Verb
  • Beneath the polished surface of Estonia’s elite ice rinks, a Russian hockey prodigy ruled by his violent father and an Estonian figure skater groomed by a manipulative coach fall in love across a national divide.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Is the world of theater ruled by men like that artistic director?
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of ruled
Verb
  • Emissions aren’t directly regulated yet for the sector, which contributes about 26% of the state’s methane pollution.
    — Blanca Begert, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The American Kratom Association, an industry lobbying group, asserts that it is regulated under a looser dietary supplement law.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of regulated
Verb
  • In response to the renaming of the theater, a number of independent theaters across France symbolically operated under the banner of René Vautier on Friday, in a show of solidarity for the cinema and its staff.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The company has operated a Green Apron Creator Program, paying baristas to create social media content during dedicated shifts.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of operated
Adjective
  • Memory pricing has risen sharply as surging AI infrastructure demand has collided with constrained supply.
    — Isabella Gao, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Shorter seasons, constrained budgets, fragmented audiences, an industry wary of grand and divisive political statements yet eager for high craft — all of it results in television that manages risk instead of confronting it.
    — Henry Metz, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of constrained
Verb
  • Becerra said that plan contained loopholes that would amount to major tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires.
    — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Dry cat food contained roughly three times more lead than wet or air-dried products.
    — Sandee LaMotte, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of contained
Verb
  • SpaceX managed to salvage the last Starship from the Indian Ocean in July.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 29 Sep. 2026
  • To date, The Tower has managed more than 10,000 group sales leads and helped facilitate millions of dollars in theatrical group sales revenue across multiple film campaigns.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of managed
Adjective
  • Producers who do choose to use barrels do so to enhance the fruit flavors and not overpower them thus making elegant, restrained whites.
    — Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Dark and atmospheric, yet restrained and sophisticated, as Dunn-Edwards describes it, this hue represents a clear shift in design toward depth, personality, and nuanced warmth for both contemporary and traditional styles.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of restrained

Browse Nearby Words

governances
governed
governess
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Cite this Entry

“Governed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/governed. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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