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

Now you understand Spencer Pratt’s third-place finish in the Los Angeles mayoral primary.

From Slate • Jun. 9, 2026

The LA mayoral runoff vote will take place with the rest of the US midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

Her mayoral term has been defined by her responses to the city's homelessness issue, federal immigration raids and a destructive wildfire that burned through a wealthy neighbourhood in Los Angeles in January 2025.

From BBC • Jun. 9, 2026

The mayoral primary, along with a slate of other races, was last Tuesday, but it took a week to determine the second of the top-two finalists.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

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

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry