govern
Americanverb (used with object)
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governs,
present (3rd person singular)
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governed,
past participle, past
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governing
present participle
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to rule over by right of authority.
to govern a nation.
- Synonyms:
- reign
- Antonyms:
- obey
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to exercise a directing or restraining influence over; guide.
the motives governing a decision.
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to hold in check; control.
to govern one's temper.
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to serve as or constitute a law for.
the principles governing a case.
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Grammar. to be regularly accompanied by or require the use of (a particular form). In They helped us, the verb helped governs the objective case of the pronoun we.
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to regulate the speed of (an engine) with a governor.
verb (used without object)
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governs,
present (3rd person singular)
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governed,
past participle, past
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governing
present participle
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to exercise the function of government.
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to have predominating influence.
verb
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(also intr) to direct and control the actions, affairs, policies, functions, etc, of (a political unit, organization, nation, etc); rule
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to exercise restraint over; regulate or direct
to govern one's temper
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to be a predominant influence on (something); decide or determine (something)
his injury governed his decision to avoid sports
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to control the speed of (an engine, machine, etc) using a governor
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to control the rate of flow of (a fluid) by using an automatic valve
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(of a word) to determine the inflection of (another word)
Latin nouns govern adjectives that modify them
Usage
What does govern mean? Govern means to rule over something with authority, as in In a democracy, people elect those who will govern them. Govern can also mean to hold something in check, like your temper. And govern can mean to act as a guiding force, as when your stomach governs your food choices. Govern, meaning to rule over something, is almost always used to refer to government or politics, as in The president did his best to govern the country during the war. Presidents and prime ministers are examples of people who govern countries or nations. A person who governs something might be called a governor but is just as likely to be referred to by an official title. Govern can also mean to control or curb something, as in The waiter wanted to shout at the rude customer but he managed to govern his anger. Govern is also used to mean to restrain influence over something by acting as a guide, as in The lawyer always let his strong sense of justice govern his actions. Example: Most voters were undecided who would be better at governing the country.
Synonym Usage
See rule.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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governabilitynoun
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governablenessnoun
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overgovernverb (used with object)
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regovernverb (used with object)
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supergovernverb (used with object)
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governableadjective
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ungovernedadjective
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ungoverningadjective
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well-governedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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governsimple
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governssimple
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have governedperfect
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has governedperfect
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am governingprogressive
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are governingprogressive
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is governingprogressive
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have been governingperfect progressive
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has been governingperfect progressive
Past
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governedsimple
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had governedperfect
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was governingprogressive
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were governingprogressive
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had been governingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of govern
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French gouverner, from Latin gubernāre “to steer (a ship),” from Greek kybernân “to steer”; cf. cybernetics ( def. )
Explanation
To govern is to rule, lead, oversee, or otherwise control. Each U.S. state has its own governor, whose job it is to govern the affairs of that state. While it's true that governors govern — that is, they head the executive branch of their state government — there are lots of other ways to use the verb govern. Almost anything that controls or has a lot of influence over something else can be said to govern. The rules of tennis, for example, govern the way that game is played. In mechanics, a device that controls other devices is called a governor. My dog's basic needs govern the way my household is run: his schedule is our schedule.
Vocabulary lists containing govern
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act IV
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Persepolis
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "G"
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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:
"I call on states and companies to mobilise urgently through multilateral fora to chart a path for action to govern advanced, frontier Al models, grounded in international human rights law."
From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026
As long as no new government is sworn into office, the departing CDU state premier would continue to govern in a caretaker capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
It is not yet clear if that would be enough to take power in the state but the AfD says it has won a mandate to govern.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
The order could govern federal usage; it could not compel Canada or the rest of the world to play along.
From Salon ● Sep. 2, 2026
Octavian would govern the west, including the parts of Gaul that had been under Mark Antony’s control.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon -- whose National Party governs in a coalition with NZ First -- has condemned Peter's "inappropriate attention-seeking" comments.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
He invoked Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which governs US trade enforcement of practices that burden or restrict American commerce.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
“What they have done is lower the standard for everything,” said Ali Khawar, a former senior official at the Department of Labor, which is charged with enforcing the federal law that governs retirement savings.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Consumer Watchdog contended in its lawsuit that the surcharges violated Proposition 103 — the 1988 measure that governs insurer rate hikes — because the proposition does not allow for them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
Chris’s seemingly anomalous political positions were perhaps best summed up by Thoreau’s declaration in “Civil Disobedience": "I heartily accept the motto—‘That government is best which governs least.’
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Tournaments are pursuing younger audiences accustomed to the continuous movement and noise of other professional sports, challenging traditions that have long governed how spectators behave.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
Uganda is governed by an elected president and parliament, but it has several traditional kingdoms that continue to have significant cultural influence despite not having political power.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
They’re governed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a federal agency, and are allowed in every state, with some exceptions like Nevada and Michigan.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
The 57-year-old, known as JOH, governed from 2014 to 2022 and had been accused of embezzling $2 million in public funds to finance his 2013 presidential campaign.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
I knew that this machine-city was governed by strange laws and I wondered if I would ever learn them.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Rodriguez, who is governing under Washington's watchful eye since the January ouster of Nicolas Maduro, has submitted power industry reforms to lawmakers, but they have not yet been approved.
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
UC Berkeley “will spare no effort to provide ample evidence showing that the university complies with all relevant laws, policies and rules governing admissions.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Humanity, after all, has created rules governing other potentially world-ending technologies.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
The system that branded him at 19 is, in his telling, the same one governing China today.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
She was helping Mark Antony develop a strategy for governing the east.
From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby
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.
