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Synonyms

govern

American

[guhv-ern] / ˈgʌv ərn /

verb (used with object)

to rule over by right of authority.

to govern a nation.

Synonyms:

reign

Antonyms:

obey
to exercise a directing or restraining influence over; guide.

the motives governing a decision.

Synonyms:

superintend, supervise, conduct, influence, sway, control
to hold in check; control.

to govern one's temper.
to serve as or constitute a law for.

the principles governing a case.
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.
to regulate the speed of (an engine) with a governor.

verb (used without object)

to exercise the function of government.
to have predominating influence.

govern British

/ ˈɡʌvən /

verb

(also intr) to direct and control the actions, affairs, policies, functions, etc, of (a political unit, organization, nation, etc); rule
to exercise restraint over; regulate or direct

to govern one's temper
to be a predominant influence on (something); decide or determine (something)

his injury governed his decision to avoid sports
to control the speed of (an engine, machine, etc) using a governor
to control the rate of flow of (a fluid) by using an automatic valve
(of a word) to determine the inflection of (another word)

Latin nouns govern adjectives that modify them

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

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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:

govern governs governed governing

The Supreme Court has long acknowledged a religious institution’s right to govern itself and determine its membership.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

But what happens when researchers deliberately disrupt the conditions that normally govern how particles behave?

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026

So, their focus is seeking to steadily build the case for independence in how they choose to govern.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

The United States, China and the European Union are taking different paths to govern artificial intelligence, as calls grow worldwide to rein in its most powerful systems.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Matters are also facilitated when the prince, having no other dominions to govern, is constrained to come to live there in person.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli

Where U.S. law does not apply, Texas state law governs, the agreement states.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

If Mamdani has so far shown a pragmatic streak in how he governs that can feel at odds with the loftier promises of his campaign, some friction with his most hard-line voters might be inevitable.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

Barrera, 59, is the president of the San Diego Unified Board of Education, which governs the state’s second-largest school system with about 113,000 students.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Officials in Yamanashi and neighbouring Shizuoka prefecture, which governs the southern part of Fuji, have seen a rise in off-season and unplanned climbs, some of which have left climbers stranded.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

I thought of our Pashtunivali code, which governs how we Pashtuns live.

From "Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Changed the World" by Malala Yousafzai

The Tuvalu Trust Fund is governed by a three-member board with representatives from Tuvalu, New Zealand and Australia.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

“We’re seeing enterprises really deploy governed AI at scale, and our Q3 results show that ServiceNow is becoming even more strategic to that work,” Mastantuono told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

In his victory speech, he said the election had taught him many lessons and pledged to change the way Brazil is governed.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

The company has not yet laid out how the fund will be governed.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

The league was predicated, in short, on the consent of the governed, without which the entire enterprise would collapse.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

It could formally join his governing coalition, a rare but not unprecedented arrangement, or offer outside support by abstaining from key votes, allowing his bloc to command a parliamentary majority without formally joining the government.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

The program still requires approval from each port’s governing body.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

House, and one of the largest governing bodies in the world.

From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026

Both leaders have said they will try to form a governing coalition.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

Alvarez, meanwhile, pondered a similar physical limitation governing the acceleration of electrons.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023