mayoral

American  

[mey-er-uhl, mey-awr-uhl] / ˈmeɪ ər əl, ˌmeɪˈɔr əl /

adjective

1. having to do with the office or person of a mayor or chief official of a city, village, or town.

   A lunchtime discussion by the mayoral candidates will focus on education funding.

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Etymology

Origin of mayoral

mayor ( def. ) + -al ¹

Explanation

Anything mayoral has to do with the official leader of a city or town, or with the office itself. In a mayoral election, candidates are vying to become the highest-ranking city official. Mayoral is from mayor, which derives from the Old French maire, "head of a city or town government," and a Latin root meaning "great." This adjective is used to talk about things related to the mayor, from the mayoral residence and mayoral duties to mayoral election campaigns and speeches. If you have mayoral ambitions, that means you dream of heading up your town's government one day. The word mayoral can also be used as a noun when referring to any overseer or foreman, especially of a ranch or an estate in Spain or Mexico in the 1800s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mayoral

He will be joined by his closest adviser, Kevin Lee, the director of his mayoral office, who will move to No 10 North after next week's Greater Manchester mayoral election.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Real-estate leaders often measure a mayoral administration’s success in part by its ability to use the EDC to execute big projects.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Robb said he served as an unpaid advisor and spokesperson for Bass through the June 2 mayoral primary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

All eyes will be on whether an alternative candidate can muster the required support to challenge Burnham, nicknamed the "King of the North" for winning three consecutive Greater Manchester mayoral elections.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

Grabarek’s mayoral rival, Watts Carr, Jr., chaired the eleven-man body, which included two blacks.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson