govern
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to rule over by right of authority.
to govern a nation.
- Synonyms:
- reign
- Antonyms:
- obey
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to exercise a directing or restraining influence over; guide.
the motives governing a decision.
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to hold in check; control.
to govern one's temper.
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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
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(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.
Reports of new U.S. rules to govern artificial-intelligence processor exports won’t help change that.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
States have exclusive authority to govern and administer state and local elections.
From Salon • Apr. 3, 2026
“The big question for me is how to teach students to govern their own attention, judgment and thought in a society that increasingly treats them as extractable resources,” Senk said.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
This two-system format makes it difficult for any one party to win outright, which means whoever comes out top in an election usually has to govern in a coalition.
From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026
The tribunal set forth a ten-point code of ethics now known as the Nuremberg Code, which was to govern all human experimentation worldwide.
From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
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.
