mayor
Americannoun
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the chief executive official, usually elected, of a city, village, or town.
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the chief magistrate of a city or borough.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mayor
First recorded in 1250–1300; from Medieval Latin major major; replacing Middle English mer, mair, from Old French maire
Explanation
The mayor is the leader of a city. He or she heads the city government. Just as a president leads a country, a mayor leads a city. Like other politicians, mayors must run for office and win an election. The word mayor comes from the Old French maire for "head of a city or town government" but most mayors probably like the original meaning, which is "greater, superior." Alas, mayors do run cities but calling them all superior is a stretch! In the United States, the president leads the country, a governor leads a state, and a mayor leads a city. If it’s used as a title for a particular mayor, as in Mayor Smith, it’s capitalized.
Vocabulary lists containing mayor
Citizenship (Civics) - Middle School
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Citizenship (Civics) - Introductory
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American Government and Civics, List 2
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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.
“We’ve always worked on the assumption that this scenario was possible starting in 2030, and especially from 2040 to 2050,” said Audrey Pulvar, a deputy mayor of Paris.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026
The Board of Los Angeles Police Commissioners, whose members are appointed by the mayor, currently has that responsibility.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026
"That doesn't mean that they can't have their own Arab mayor and their own Arab culture but it would be like a Chinatown within the broader Israel."
From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026
A couple of years ago Burnham co-authored a book with the Labour mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram.
From BBC • Jun. 29, 2026
Black leaders, including Ferdinand Barnett, concluded a two-day conference on the matter with a public statement calling on both the mayor and the governor to send in the soldiers.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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.
