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.
See Examples For:
In a statement on Instagram on Monday, the mayor wrote that access to the ocean, a campsite, and the village of La Jenny remained off limits.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Several Jewish leaders and elected officials held a press conference after the attack, urging the mayor and others to dial down their rhetoric.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
The family announced their evacuation in a letter last week to the mayor of Brignoles.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
The roles overlapped, but Robb and the mayor’s office insisted there was a firewall between Robb and the mayor regarding the Lineage fire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Also in 1915, blacks played a decisive role in electing the mayor, Republican William Thompson.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
The decision was a break in custom from previous mayors who had attended the event.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
First Secretary of State Louise Haigh told the BBC that there was not currently a mechanism in place for mayors to offer a rebate.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
The question of whether or not Scottish cities should have mayors has become something of a live debate in recent weeks.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Treasury sources say some metro mayors could end up with more money to spend if they grow their local economies and expand their tax bases.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
There was something about the mayors of towns that troubled him.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
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.
