mayor
Americannoun
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mayors
plural
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the chief executive official, usually elected, of a city, village, or town.
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the chief magistrate of a city or borough.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mayor
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Medieval Latin major major; replacing Middle English mer, mair, from Old French maire
Explanation
The mayor is the leader of a city. He or she heads the city government. Just as a president leads a country, a mayor leads a city. Like other politicians, mayors must run for office and win an election. The word mayor comes from the Old French maire for "head of a city or town government" but most mayors probably like the original meaning, which is "greater, superior." Alas, mayors do run cities but calling them all superior is a stretch! In the United States, the president leads the country, a governor leads a state, and a mayor leads a city. If it’s used as a title for a particular mayor, as in Mayor Smith, it’s capitalized.
Vocabulary lists containing mayor
Citizenship (Civics) - Middle School
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Citizenship (Civics) - Introductory
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American Government and Civics, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
The information that Mejia wants is supposed to be contained in annual reports that LA28 issues to its officially designated city “liaisons” — the mayor, city attorney, and top administrative and legislative officers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The next mayor will be asked to negotiate a new police contract, which is set to expire next year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
He continues to face questions over any relations he had with Man City while mayor of Greater Manchester for almost a decade until June.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
The mayor has stuck to the rhetoric despite drawing rebuke from Jewish leaders, who say his words have made members of their community less safe.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The young activists are Hope Springs natives Colton Griggs and Abby Standridge, daughter of the mayor, and newcomer Jubilee Johnson.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
Conventional wisdom holds that new mayors will eventually select their own chief, a decision that is considered as important as any in defining a city leader’s legacy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The PM said legislation will be put before Parliament, adding the changes will "start a 10-year journey to a very different water system", which includes new powers for mayors to hold "companies to account".
From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026
All the recent L.A. mayors I’ve known had their faults and failures, whether the task was filling potholes, building out transit or addressing the high cost of housing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
And there is certain to be plenty about his efforts to devolve power away from Whitehall to England's mayors and the new No 10 North.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Lina left the book and examined the pictures of the mayors.
From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
