regent

American  

[ree-juhnt] / ˈri dʒənt /

noun

• regents
  plural

1. a person who exercises the ruling power in a kingdom during the minority, absence, or disability of the sovereign.

2. a ruler or governor.

3. a member of the governing board of a state university or a state educational system.

4. a university officer who exercises general supervision over the conduct and welfare of the students.

5. (in certain Catholic universities) a member of the religious order who is associated in the administration of a school or college with a layperson who is its dean or director.

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adjective

1. acting as regent of a country; exercising ruling authority on behalf of a sovereign during their minority, absence, or disability (usually used postpositively).

   a prince regent.

regent British  

/ ˈriːdʒənt /

noun

1. the ruler or administrator of a country during the minority, absence, or incapacity of its monarch

2. (formerly) a senior teacher or administrator in any of certain universities

3. a member of the governing board of certain schools and colleges

4. rare any person who governs or rules

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adjective

1. (usually postpositive) acting or functioning as a regent

   a queen regent

2. rare governing, ruling, or controlling

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• regentship
  noun
• subregent
  noun
• regental
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• regents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of regent

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin regent- (stem of regēns ), present participle of regere “to rule”

Explanation

In a monarchy, if the king gets too sick to rule his country, a regent steps in to run things temporarily. When kings or queens aren't able to do their jobs — because they're ill, or often because they are children — trusted advisers called regents fill in. You can think of a regent as a substitute monarch. There's also a more permanent kind of regent who helps to run a business or university and can also be called a trustee or board member. In Latin, regent means "ruling," from the verb regere, "to rule."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

regent regents

One regent signaled he is rethinking his own vote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

When his father became ill in 1990, the crown prince became regent.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

It added that Crown Prince Haakon, aged 53, will serve as regent while his father is on sick leave.

From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026

Zhou said her peers rely on the student regent post to raise concerns about policing, student workers and student services.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

Reverend Harris was warm and friendly, and treated the regent with great deference.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

In his farewell address to the regents that October, he warned against allowing the Smithsonian to become seen as affiliated with one party or ideological bent.

From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026

“As regents, we have a responsibility to protect the university, to respect the law, and to carefully evaluate the legal consequences of the decisions we make,” Hernández said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Less than a year ago, the regents torpedoed a plan by the Big Ten Conference to spin off its assets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Among those summoned were members of the university’s board of regents, athletic director Warde Manuel and real estate tycoon Stephen Ross, the school’s biggest donor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

In the meantime, Sproul was able to push the regents to commit themselves as a board to more funding from university resources.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• ruler