governorship

American  

[guhv-er-ner-ship, -uh-ner-] / ˈgʌv ər nərˌʃɪp, -ə nər- /

noun

1. the duties, term in office, etc., of a governor.

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governorship British  

/ ˈɡʌvənəˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the office, jurisdiction, or term of a governor

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Other Word Forms

• subgovernorship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of governorship

First recorded in 1635–45; governor + -ship

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

governorship

In November 2025, Abigail Spanberger won Virginia’s governorship in a landslide after promising to make data centers “pay their own way and their fair share.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

This unease has given Democrats hope of flipping the governorship, where Lahn will now face off in November against Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

Predictably, that result has been seized upon as evidence of a collapsing governorship.

From Salon ● Apr. 15, 2026

A small group of families backed Newsom’s rise through City Hall to the governorship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

Then he’d come back and work himself up to the governorship of his state.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith