guv
Americannoun
-
term of address used to a man, especially by a younger man, boy, employee, or social inferior.
noun
Etymology
Origin of guv
First recorded in 1850–55; by shortening and respelling
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.
The prime minister, who only arrived in parliament in 2015, really cannot do the "don't blame me guv routine" anymore, they argue.
From BBC • Nov. 14, 2023
“I went to high school with GOP guv candidate @BrianKempGA,” Davis wrote in the now-deleted tweet.
From Fox News • Dec. 22, 2018
Lest that sound like our guv is just another face in the crowd, consider this: Cillizza put Inslee in the second of four “tiers” — the first tier being most likely to clinch the nomination.
From Seattle Times • May 2, 2017
Yes, for nigh on four centuries they've been leaning down to expectant faces and querying, "Where to, guv?"
From New York Times • Nov. 28, 2012
On hearing of my problem, the man without hesitation came out to the Ford, opened the bonnet and informed me after barely a few seconds' inspection: 'Water, guv.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
