mayor
Americannoun
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the chief executive official, usually elected, of a city, village, or town.
-
the chief magistrate of a city or borough.
noun
Other Word Forms
- mayoral adjective
- mayorship noun
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.
The young mayor was joined at the rally by his close ally, 84-year-old leftist icon Bernie Sanders.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
South Africa's second-largest party, the Democratic Alliance, elected Cape Town's mayor Sunday to lead it into the 2029 national polls, stepping up a drive to take votes away from the faltering ANC.
From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026
For the past two years Györ has had an independent mayor and deputy mayor, but Fidesz still has a majority on the local council.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
In 1966, he led the workers on an illegal strike, paralyzing the city and its idealistic new mayor, John V. Lindsay.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
But over the decade following the riot, gangs and organized crime continued to operate unchecked by the mayor, angering enough citizens that Thompson was voted out in 1931, never to hold office again.
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.
