govern
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to rule over by right of authority.
to govern a nation.
- Synonyms:
- reign
- Antonyms:
- obey
-
to exercise a directing or restraining influence over; guide.
the motives governing a decision.
-
to hold in check; control.
to govern one's temper.
-
to serve as or constitute a law for.
the principles governing a case.
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Grammar. to be regularly accompanied by or require the use of (a particular form). In They helped us, the verb helped governs the objective case of the pronoun we.
-
to regulate the speed of (an engine) with a governor.
verb (used without object)
-
to exercise the function of government.
-
to have predominating influence.
verb
-
(also intr) to direct and control the actions, affairs, policies, functions, etc, of (a political unit, organization, nation, etc); rule
-
to exercise restraint over; regulate or direct
to govern one's temper
-
to be a predominant influence on (something); decide or determine (something)
his injury governed his decision to avoid sports
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to control the speed of (an engine, machine, etc) using a governor
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to control the rate of flow of (a fluid) by using an automatic valve
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(of a word) to determine the inflection of (another word)
Latin nouns govern adjectives that modify them
Usage
What does govern mean? Govern means to rule over something with authority, as in In a democracy, people elect those who will govern them.Govern can also mean to hold something in check, like your temper.And govern can mean to act as a guiding force, as when your stomach governs your food choices.Govern, meaning to rule over something, is almost always used to refer to government or politics, as in The president did his best to govern the country during the war. Presidents and prime ministers are examples of people who govern countries or nations. A person who governs something might be called a governor but is just as likely to be referred to by an official title.Govern can also mean to control or curb something, as in The waiter wanted to shout at the rude customer but he managed to govern his anger.Govern is also used to mean to restrain influence over something by acting as a guide, as in The lawyer always let his strong sense of justice govern his actions.Example: Most voters were undecided who would be better at governing the country.
Related Words
See rule.
Other Word Forms
- governability noun
- governable adjective
- governableness noun
- overgovern verb (used with object)
- regovern verb (used with object)
- supergovern verb (used with object)
- ungoverned adjective
- ungoverning adjective
- well-governed adjective
Etymology
Origin of govern
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French gouverner, from Latin gubernāre “to steer (a ship),” from Greek kybernân “to steer”; cybernetics ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
By invoking constitutional mechanisms and activating the temporary governing arrangement, authorities aim to signal that the system remains intact despite the loss of its apex figure.
From BBC
Fifa - football's world governing body - has said it is monitoring developments but, at this stage, officials are privately saying they expect Iran to be at the World Cup.
From BBC
Under California law, police agencies are required to adopt detailed usage and privacy policies governing license plate data, restrict access to authorized purposes, and regularly audit searches to prevent misuse.
From Los Angeles Times
They are not illegal to buy or own, but they are not approved for human use, so are not subject to the quality controls that govern pharmaceutical manufacturing.
From BBC
In Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, one person was killed and seven wounded in an "incident" at Zayed International Airport, its governing body said.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
