regent

American  

[ree-juhnt] / ˈri dʒənt /

noun

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

• regental
  adjective
• regentship
  noun
• subregent
  noun

Etymology

Origin of regent

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

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

The ChatGPT maker said earlier this week that it had secured 88,500 square feet at Regent Quarter in King’s Cross to accommodate more than 500 people next year.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Regent House school in Newtownards, County Down, was one of those to open on Tuesday and a steady stream of pupils arrived to get help to reset their passwords.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

Dana Newbauer, who lives in the Philadelphia area, is soon sailing with this wife on a Regent Seven Seas cruise to Portugal, Spain and Morocco.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

Pacific Electric will be on the small side for a theater, a more intimate peer of downtown’s Regent or Bellwether.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2026

"I was asked to bring the offer to the Queen Regent," Ser Cleos said as the door shut.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Related Words

• ruler