regent

American  

[ree-juhnt] / ˈri dʒənt /

noun

• regents
  plural

1. a person who exercises the ruling power in a kingdom during the minority, absence, or disability of the sovereign.

2. a ruler or governor.

3. a member of the governing board of a state university or a state educational system.

4. a university officer who exercises general supervision over the conduct and welfare of the students.

5. (in certain Catholic universities) a member of the religious order who is associated in the administration of a school or college with a layperson who is its dean or director.

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adjective

1. acting as regent of a country; exercising ruling authority on behalf of a sovereign during their minority, absence, or disability (usually used postpositively).

   a prince regent.

regent British  

/ ˈriːdʒənt /

noun

1. the ruler or administrator of a country during the minority, absence, or incapacity of its monarch

2. (formerly) a senior teacher or administrator in any of certain universities

3. a member of the governing board of certain schools and colleges

4. rare any person who governs or rules

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adjective

1. (usually postpositive) acting or functioning as a regent

   a queen regent

2. rare governing, ruling, or controlling

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• regentship
  noun
• subregent
  noun
• regental
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• regents
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of regent

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin regent- (stem of regēns ), present participle of regere “to rule”

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Explanation

In a monarchy, if the king gets too sick to rule his country, a regent steps in to run things temporarily. When kings or queens aren't able to do their jobs — because they're ill, or often because they are children — trusted advisers called regents fill in. You can think of a regent as a substitute monarch. There's also a more permanent kind of regent who helps to run a business or university and can also be called a trustee or board member. In Latin, regent means "ruling," from the verb regere, "to rule."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

regent regents

Crown Prince Haakon, 53, the successor to the Norwegian throne, has been serving as regent while his father is on leave.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

His son, Crown Prince Haakon, 53, has been serving as regent while his father is on leave.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

“The disappearance of the regent honeyeater’s song is a cultural issue, too,” Mr. Hoffman writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

In 2023, he was appointed a regent of the University of California by Gavin Newsom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

She had enjoyed her time as regent and felt a strange reluctance to give it up.

From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness

In 2021, the school’s board of regents approved the building of the 163,000-square-foot Leinweber Computer Science and Information Building.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026

In his farewell address to the regents that October, he warned against allowing the Smithsonian to become seen as affiliated with one party or ideological bent.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026

The senate plans to send its recommendation to regents by June.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

The regents cast the Wednesday discussions as the opening of a months-long process to evaluate testing and student preparation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

A majority opposed the oath but chose to sign nevertheless, especially after the regents decreed that those who refused would face dismissal.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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Related Words

• ruler

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