govern
verb (used with object)
to rule over by right of authority.
had governed
-
past perfectof govern.past perfect
Used to express a completed action that took place before another specific past action occurred.
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.
For the writer-director, the movie represented a kind of unshackling from the obligations that had governed some of his past work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The scandal shook Malaysian politics, contributing to the 2018 downfall of the ruling coalition that had governed since independence in 1957, and led to the convictions of two former Goldman bankers.
From Barron's ● Dec. 25, 2025
Noé Ramos Ferretiz was running for a coalition of the opposition National Action Party and Institutional Revolutionary Party, which had governed Mexico until 2000.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
Magdalena Andersson's Social Democrats had governed Sweden since 2014 and dominated the country's political landscape since the 1930s.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2022
Not that Helen doubted for an instant the love which had governed our choice.
From I Walked in Arden by Jack Crawford
