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:
Bass has also used the Mayor’s Fund, a charity fund that the mayor can use to tackle issues around the city, to address homelessness and eviction protection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The decisions to grant loans from the fund were taken publicly by all members of the GMCA, not the mayor alone.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The next mayor will be asked to negotiate a new police contract, which is set to expire next year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
King Mohammed VI’s appointment of the 50-year-old French-trained lawyer, former member of Parliament and mayor of Marrakesh, has dominated postelection media coverage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
As the meeting was breaking up, a white reporter for the Morning Herald asked to speak to the mayor alone.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Conventional wisdom holds that new mayors will eventually select their own chief, a decision that is considered as important as any in defining a city leader’s legacy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
“For mayors, it’s always been more about contending with, rather than controlling the NYPD,” said Bagga.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Earlier this month, it was announced that regional mayors in England would gain new powers to charge an uncapped levy on overnight stays for visitors.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
All the recent L.A. mayors I’ve known had their faults and failures, whether the task was filling potholes, building out transit or addressing the high cost of housing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
This mayor is an angel; the last couple of mayors have all been angels.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
