Synonyms

govern

American

[guhv-ern] / ˈgʌv ərn /

verb (used with object)

to rule over by right of authority.

to govern a nation.

Synonyms:

reign

Antonyms:

obey
to exercise a directing or restraining influence over; guide.

the motives governing a decision.

Synonyms:

superintend, supervise, conduct, influence, sway, control
to hold in check; control.

to govern one's temper.
to serve as or constitute a law for.

the principles governing a case.
Grammar. to be regularly accompanied by or require the use of (a particular form). In They helped us, the verb helped governs the objective case of the pronoun we.
to regulate the speed of (an engine) with a governor.

verb (used without object)

to exercise the function of government.
to have predominating influence.

govern British

/ ˈɡʌvən /

verb

(also intr) to direct and control the actions, affairs, policies, functions, etc, of (a political unit, organization, nation, etc); rule
to exercise restraint over; regulate or direct

to govern one's temper
to be a predominant influence on (something); decide or determine (something)

his injury governed his decision to avoid sports
to control the speed of (an engine, machine, etc) using a governor
to control the rate of flow of (a fluid) by using an automatic valve
(of a word) to determine the inflection of (another word)

Latin nouns govern adjectives that modify them

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does govern mean? Govern means to rule over something with authority, as in In a democracy, people elect those who will govern them. Govern can also mean to hold something in check, like your temper. And govern can mean to act as a guiding force, as when your stomach governs your food choices. Govern, meaning to rule over something, is almost always used to refer to government or politics, as in The president did his best to govern the country during the war. Presidents and prime ministers are examples of people who govern countries or nations. A person who governs something might be called a governor but is just as likely to be referred to by an official title. Govern can also mean to control or curb something, as in The waiter wanted to shout at the rude customer but he managed to govern his anger. Govern is also used to mean to restrain influence over something by acting as a guide, as in The lawyer always let his strong sense of justice govern his actions. Example: Most voters were undecided who would be better at governing the country.

Synonym Usage

See rule.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of govern

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French gouverner, from Latin gubernāre “to steer (a ship),” from Greek kybernân “to steer”; cf. cybernetics ( def. )

Explanation

To govern is to rule, lead, oversee, or otherwise control. Each U.S. state has its own governor, whose job it is to govern the affairs of that state. While it's true that governors govern — that is, they head the executive branch of their state government — there are lots of other ways to use the verb govern. Almost anything that controls or has a lot of influence over something else can be said to govern. The rules of tennis, for example, govern the way that game is played. In mechanics, a device that controls other devices is called a governor. My dog's basic needs govern the way my household is run: his schedule is our schedule.

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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:

govern governs governed governing

“U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will ensure that immigration filings are decided based on the laws, regulations, and binding legal precedent that govern each case.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

The institutions that control the college-sports marketplace are asking Congress for permission to coordinate the rules that govern athletes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

In the new material, however, the bands govern the movement and statistical behavior of quantum states of light.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

Some believe Swinney can and should now take the opportunity to more publicly distance himself from the Sturgeon era, given he now has his own mandate to govern.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

Marcus Lepidus would govern Africa, the smallest share.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby

The talks are taking place seven months after US forces seized president Nicolas Maduro and as interim leader Delcy Rodriguez governs under Washington's watchful eye.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

He invoked Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which governs US trade enforcement of practices that burden or restrict American commerce.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

“What they have done is lower the standard for everything,” said Ali Khawar, a former senior official at the Department of Labor, which is charged with enforcing the federal law that governs retirement savings.

From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026

Under federal tax-exempt organization law, he said, the “private benefit doctrine” governs whether a nonprofit’s overall activities unduly benefit any single individual — including through indirect payments to entities they own.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

Even today, artists and architects intuitively know that objects that have this ratio of length to width are the most aesthetically pleasing, and the ratio governs the proportions of many works of art and architecture.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Prediction-market operators argue that wagers on football games and other contests are merely event contracts governed exclusively by federal commodities law.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

The country has been governed for almost five years by the Taliban authorities, which rule according to a strict interpretation of Islamic law.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

"A country cannot be governed by remote control while critical socioeconomic challenges go unaddressed," he said last week.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

By connecting non-inertial quantum effects with measurable particle behavior, the work opens a new direction for studying matter governed by the strong interaction.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026

Still, I knew I did not fit into their world, which was governed by ritual and prayer.

From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter

Hahn Niman also noted, at least five times over two interviews, that Point Reyes is a “seashore” and not a “park,” and therefore doesn’t have as many rules governing preservation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

For a period of time, he took on a role as council member on Indian Creek Village’s governing board.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

In their coalition agreement for governing the city, the Social Democrats and liberals pledged to expand public toilet provision and examine whether public toilets could be made free for everyone.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

His portfolio, taken together, suggests a particular interest in the invisible forces governing everyday life: particulates, sundown, industrial produce conglomerates.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

Two scientists discovered the law governing the acceleration of falling bodies at around the same time—Harriot and Galileo.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023