governor

American  

[guhv-er-ner, ‑uh-ner] / ˈgʌv ər nər, ‑ə nər /

noun

1. the executive head of a state in the U.S.

2. a person charged with the direction or control of an institution, society, etc..

   the governors of a bank; the governor of a prison.

3. Also called governor general.  the representative of the crown, as in the Commonwealth of Nations.

4. a ruler or chief magistrate appointed to govern a province, town, fort, or the like.

5. Machinery. a device for maintaining uniform speed regardless of changes of load, as by regulating the supply of fuel or working fluid.

6. British Informal.

   1. one's father.

   2. one's employer.

   3. any man of superior rank or status.

---

governor British  

/ ˈɡʌvənə /

noun

1. a person who governs

2. the ruler or chief magistrate of a colony, province, etc

3. the representative of the Crown in a British colony

4. the senior administrator or head of a society, prison, etc

5. the chief executive of any state in the US

6. a device that controls the speed of an engine, esp by regulating the supply of fuel, etc, either to limit the maximum speed or to maintain a constant speed

7. Also called: head.  grammar

   1. a word in a phrase or clause that is the principal item and gives the function of the whole, as hat in the big red hat

   2. ( as modifier )

      a governor noun

8. informal a name or title of respect for a father, employer, etc

---

Pronunciation

In governor, the process of dissimilation—the tendency for neighboring like sounds to become unlike or for one of them to disappear entirely—commonly results in the loss of the first of , producing the pronunciation . This pronunciation is heard even in regions where postvocalic is not usually dropped. A further loss, of the medial unstressed vowel, results in . All three pronunciations are standard. See colonel, February, library.

Other Word Forms

• subgovernor noun
• undergovernor noun

Etymology

Origin of governor

1250–1300; Middle English governour < Old French governeor, gouverneur < Latin gubernātōrem, accusative of gubernātor, equivalent to gubernā(re) to steer, govern + -tor -tor

Explanation

A governor leads a state government, just like a president leads a national government. If you know that governing means to be in charge of something, that should help you remember what a governor is. Just as mayors run cities and presidents and prime ministers run countries, governors run states. A governor is elected for a term, has a vice governor, and deals with a legislature, just like the U.S. President. Governor is a very important title in the U.S., and many governors — such as Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush — have gone on to become U.S. presidents.

Example Sentences

What kind of person, then, thinks they will run for a promotion as substantial as governor of California and keep these secrets contained?

From Slate • Apr. 18, 2026

The law does not require the governor to disclose the basis for their designation, though it does set some parameters around why a group might be recommended for the designation.

From Salon • Apr. 17, 2026

Richmond Fed president Tom Barkin at 12:15 p.m., and Fed governor Christopher Waller at 2 p.m.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

Miller would serve as a regional governor of various Peruvian territories before returning to London in 1826 to write his memoirs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Black leaders, including Ferdinand Barnett, concluded a two-day conference on the matter with a public statement calling on both the mayor and the governor to send in the soldiers.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield