mayor
Americannoun
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mayors
plural
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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:
Others said it was difficult to remove a serving mayor and noted the current incumbent had remained in post, despite a vote of no confidence in his leadership.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Asheville’s mayor, facing a challenge from Roney, scheduled a vote in late August to disable the cameras.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Only shortwave radios worked, and the mayor of Los Angeles, Frank Shaw, spoke to the nation thanks to a relay via a wireless station way up in Point Reyes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
One advantage of that system would be the ability of the full council to remove a leader, something that councils cannot do with an elected mayor.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The mayor lived up there, but I hated to bother such an important person.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Prime Minister Andy Burnham last week unveiled plans to let regional mayors slap a tax on hotel stays.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The government will announce more details after the Housing Secretary Angela Rayner meets mayors on Thursday.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Roughly 173,000 documents released Tuesday, and additional ones which will be published online in waves over the next 12 months, could implicate two former New York mayors.
From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026
The paper also says the prime minister wants "bolder devolution", including for parts of the country without elected mayors.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
Portraits of all the mayors of the city since the beginning of time hung on the walls, staring solemnly from behind pieces of old window glass.
From "The City of Ember" by Jeanne DuPrau
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.
