noun
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the representative of the Crown in a dominion of the Commonwealth or a British colony; vicegerent
-
a governor with jurisdiction or precedence over other governors
Other Word Forms
- governor-generalship noun
Etymology
Origin of governor general
First recorded in 1580–90
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.
Cicero’s rhetoric would be echoed centuries later by Edmund Burke, who invoked Verres in his denunciation of Warren Hastings, the British governor general of India who was impeached for corruption in 1787.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 24, 2025
Tuesday's address would traditionally be given by the governor general, who is the monarch's top representative in Canada.
From BBC • May 27, 2025
Next, David Johnston, the former governor general, looked at the body of evidence that produced the leak.
From New York Times • Jun. 1, 2024
The governor general at the time awarded the Order of Canada, a top civilian honor that recognizes outstanding achievement and service to the nation, to Peter Savaryn, who was praised for promoting multiculturalism in Canada.
From Reuters • Oct. 4, 2023
In a proclamation, the British governor general of Virginia, John Murray, Earl of Dunmore, announced that slaves or indentured servants who left their owners to fight with the British would be freed.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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.
