Governor Meaning
/ˈɡʌv(ə)nə(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe chief executive officer of a first-level administrative division of a country.
nounA device which regulates or controls some action of a machine through automatic feedback.
Sentence Examples
Everybody wished he had been elected governor.
The prefectural governor got the upper hand in the July elections.
The former governor of the colony
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ announced a new policy to reduce crime rates.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the state signed the new bill into law during an official ceremony at the capitol building.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English governour, from Old French gouvreneur, from Latin gubernator, from Ancient Greek κυβερνήτης (kubernḗtēs, “steersman, pilot, guide”), from κυβερνάω (kubernáō, “to steer, to drive, to guide, to act as a pilot”), of disputed origin. By surface analysis, govern + -or. Doublet of gubernator.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Top aides and people close to Kamala Harris have divided over whether she should head home to run for California governor in 2026 — and it all comes down to whether they believe she could win the Democratic nomination for president in an expected competitive primary in 2028."
— 2024 December 15, Edward-Isaac Dovere, “Harris debates her future: A run for California governor that would take 2028 off the table”, in CNN, archived from the original on 27 Jan 2025:
"But gender is a factor both candidates will navigate in a country that has elected just 51 female state governors in its history."
— 2025 June 17, Eva McKend, “Virginia will elect its first female governor this fall. Neither candidate is talking much about it”, in CNN, archived from the original on 21 Jun 2025:
"A governor on the injection pump limits the speed when running idle."
— 1958 July 26, “German Railbuses for British Railways”, in Railway Magazine, page 501:
"Generator excitation is obtained by a combination of the separately-excited and self-excited fields, and the output is controlled by a resistance in the separate field circuit adjusted by the load regulator under the control of the engine governor."
— 1961 October, “The first 1,250 h.p. Birmingham/Sulzer Type 2 diesels enter service”, in Trains Illustrated, page 607:
"The turning point came in 1923, says Norton, when 42,000 Cincinnati residents signed a petition for a ballot initiative that would require all cars to have a governor limiting them to 25 miles per hour."
— 2015 November 4, Joseph Stromberg, “The forgotten history of how automakers invented the crime of "jaywalking"”, in Vox, archived from the original on 08 Mar 2018:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ announced a new policy to reduce crime rates.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ of the state signed the new bill into law during an official ceremony at the capitol building.