guv

[ guhv ]

/ gʌv /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR guv ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Chiefly British Informal.

term of address used to a man, especially by a younger man, boy, employee, or social inferior.

governor(def 6).

Nearby words

gutturalize, gutturalized, gutturally, gutturonasal, gutty, guv, guy, guy fawkes day, guy friday, guyana, guyanese

Origin of guv

First recorded in 1850–55; by shortening and respelling

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for guv

The Guv quipped, “Here in California, they do have men that become women.”
28,000 X Chromosomes Strong|Lynn Sherr|October 24, 2008|DAILY BEAST
"She must have been a fine old lady, guv'ner," Phil observes.
Bleak House|Charles Dickens
Gawd love you, guv'nor, they'd fight 'ell's blazes, them chaps would!
Changing Winds|St. John G. Ervine
Finally one of them approached Goodi and pulling off his cap asked, "It's all right, guv'nor, but what do we get for our time?"
Nat Goodwin's Book|Nat C. Goodwin

By this time I guv up all thought o' takin' the young eagles.
Our Young Folks--Vol. I, No. II, February 1865|Various
And, beggin' pardon, but you don't look none too healthy yourself this evening, guv'ner.
Cleek, the Master Detective|Thomas W. Hanshew

British Dictionary definitions for guv

guv

guv'nor (ˈɡʌvnə)

/ (ɡʌv) /

noun

British an informal name for governor

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

Word Origin and History for guv

guv

1890, shortening of guvner, casual British pronunciation of governor as a title of respect.