mayoral

American  

[mey-er-uhl, mey-awr-uhl] / ˈmeɪ ər əl, ˌmeɪˈɔr əl /

adjective

1. having to do with the office or person of a mayor or chief official of a city, village, or town.

   A lunchtime discussion by the mayoral candidates will focus on education funding.

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Etymology

Origin of mayoral

mayor ( def. ) + -al ¹

Explanation

Anything mayoral has to do with the official leader of a city or town, or with the office itself. In a mayoral election, candidates are vying to become the highest-ranking city official. Mayoral is from mayor, which derives from the Old French maire, "head of a city or town government," and a Latin root meaning "great." This adjective is used to talk about things related to the mayor, from the mayoral residence and mayoral duties to mayoral election campaigns and speeches. If you have mayoral ambitions, that means you dream of heading up your town's government one day. The word mayoral can also be used as a noun when referring to any overseer or foreman, especially of a ranch or an estate in Spain or Mexico in the 1800s.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mayoral

This exact problem arose in the recent first round of the Los Angeles mayoral race, where markets had predicted much greater success for Spencer Pratt than he actually achieved.

From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026

A mayoral spokesperson said the board is independent and expressed confidence that it had evaluated all relevant data.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Deputy Labour Party leader Lucy Powell said Sunday Burnham's mayoral experience away from the London centre of government meant he understood the "bigger, bolder measures" needed to deliver on Labour's election manifesto promises.

From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026

Robb said he served as an unpaid advisor and spokesperson for Bass through the June 2 mayoral primary.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

I outlined my speech, she listened, nodded, and rubbed her chin in true mayoral style.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry