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

Mayoral candidates Rae Huang and Adam Miller criticized their exclusion from the KNBC/Telemundo debate.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani called the raid aggressive and reckless.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 22, 2025

Any merger would not take place until after the winner of the West Midlands Mayoral Election was confirmed in May, Mr Street said previously.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2024

Mayoral spokesperson Kayla Mamelak said the lack of space has presented few options for migrants.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 12, 2023

Leaving the sugar-house, we went in pursuit of the Mayoral, or Overseer, who seemed to inhabit comfortable quarters, in a long, low house, shielded from the sun by a thick screen of matting.

From A Trip to Cuba by Howe, Julia Ward