governor

plural governors · alternative obsolete gouernour · alternative obsolete gouvernor · alternative obsolete gouvernour · alternative obsolete governer · alternative obsolete governour · alternative informal guvnah · alternative informal guvnuh · alternative informal guv'nor

1. governmentThe chief executive officer of a first-level administrative division of a country.

   But gender is a factor both candidates will navigate in a country that has elected just 51 female state governors in its history.

   2025 June 17, Eva McKend, “Virginia will elect its first female governor this fall. Neither candidate is talking much about it”, in CNN, archived from the original on 21 Jun 2025

   2 more examples

   Younger voters are more libertarian in political philosophy than older voters and are credited with the success of libertarian governor Jesse Ventura of Minnesota.

   1999, Karen O'Connor, The essentials of American government: continuity and change, page 17

   Top aides and people close to Kamala Harris have divided over whether she should head home to run for California governor in 2026 — and it all comes down to whether they believe she could win the Democratic nomination for president in an expected competitive primary in 2028.

   2024 December 15, Edward-Isaac Dovere, “Harris debates her future: A run for California governor that would take 2028 off the table”, in CNN, archived from the original on 27 Jan 2025

   Synonyms: viceroy, proconsul, bailiff, seneschal, intendant, tao tai, circuit intendant, intendant

2. A device which regulates or controls some action of a machine through automatic feedback.

   A governor on the injection pump limits the speed when running idle.

   1958 July 28, “German Railbuses for British Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 501

   2 more examples

   Generator excitation is obtained by a combination of the separately-excited and self-excited fields, and the output is controlled by a resistance in the separate field circuit adjusted by the load regulator under the control of the engine governor.

   1961 October, “The first 1,250 h.p. Birmingham/Sulzer Type 2 diesels enter service”, in Trains Illustrated, page 607

   The turning point came in 1923, says Norton, when 42,000 Cincinnati residents signed a petition for a ballot initiative that would require all cars to have a governor limiting them to 25 miles per hour.

   2015 November 4, Joseph Stromberg, “The forgotten history of how automakers invented the crime of "jaywalking"”, in Vox, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2018

3. A member of a decision-making body (such as a committee) for a larger organization or entity (including some public agencies), similar to or equivalent to a board of directors (used especially for banks); a member of the board of governors.

   The seven members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

   Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, www.federalreserve.gov (November 6, 2009)

   1 more example

   Pan Gongsheng, governor of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) and head of the country’s foreign exchange regulator, chaired a symposium with representatives from foreign companies, including JP Morgan, Tesla (TSLA), HSBC (HSBC), Deutsche Bank (DB), BNP Paribas, Japan’s MUFG Bank, German chemical producer BASF, commodities trader Trafigura and Schneider Electric, according to a statement posted on the websites of the PBOC and the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).

   2023 September 19, Laura He, “China woos Tesla, JP Morgan and other Western companies as foreign investment slumps”, in CNN Business, archived from the original on 26 Jul 2025

4. UKdatedinformalTerm of address to a man.

   "Oh, right you are, governor, if you say so," accepted Fank […]

   1934, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], The Bravo of London

5. UKinformalA superior, especially a boss, an employer, or (law enforcement) a superior police officer.

   DCI Tom Barnaby: ... so far, your detective sergeant is absolutely believable. Nico Bentley: Terrific. Why? Barnaby: You've observed Rule Number 1: Always keep the governor waiting.

   2000 February 5, Douglas Watkinson et al., “Beyond the Grave”, in Midsomer Murders

6. archaicinformalSynonym of father.

   "Say 'father.' We never called him papa; and if one of my brothers had addressed him as 'governor,' as boys do now, I really think he'd have him cut off with a shilling."

   1869, Louisa May Alcott, An Old-Fashioned Girl

   Synonyms: father

7. grammarA constituent of a phrase that governs another.
8. datedOne who has the care or guardianship of a young man; a tutor; a guardian.
9. nauticalA pilot; a steersman.

plural Governors

1. The title for someone who holds the post of governor.

   The Auschwitz Memorial Museum slammed Kyle Langford, Republican candidate for Governor of California, after his antisemitic remarks, calling out his actions as a “profound moral failure.”

   2025 July 27, “California governor candidate calls Auschwitz 'solution for homelessness,' sparks critisism”, in The Jerusalem Post