governor

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.

gov·er·nor

(gŭv′ər-nər)

1. Abbr. Gov. A person who governs, especially:

a. The chief executive of a state in the United States.

b. An official appointed to govern a colony or territory.

c. A member of a governing body.

2. The manager or administrative head of an organization, business, or institution.

3. Abbr. Gov. A military commandant.

4. Chiefly British Used as a form of polite address for a man.

5. A feedback device on a machine or engine that is used to provide automatic control, as of speed, pressure, or temperature.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

governor

(ˈɡʌvənə)

1. a person who governs

2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the ruler or chief magistrate of a colony, province, etc

3. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the representative of the Crown in a British colony

4. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) Brit the senior administrator or head of a society, prison, etc

5. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the chief executive of any state in the US

6. (Mechanical Engineering) a device that controls the speed of an engine, esp by regulating the supply of fuel, etc, either to limit the maximum speed or to maintain a constant speed

7. (Grammar) grammar

a. a word in a phrase or clause that is the principal item and gives the function of the whole, as hat in the big red hat

b. (as modifier): a governor noun.

8. informal Brit a name or title of respect for a father, employer, etc

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

gov•er•nor

(ˈgʌv ər nər, -ə nər)

n.

1. the executive head of a state in the U.S.

2. a person charged with the direction or control of an institution, society, etc.: the governors of a bank; the governor of a prison.

3. a ruler or chief magistrate appointed to govern a province, town, fort, or the like.

4. a device for maintaining uniform speed in a machine, engine, etc., regardless of changes of load, as by regulating the supply of fuel or working fluid.

5. Brit. Informal.

a. one's father.

b. one's employer.

c. any man of superior rank or status.

[1250–1300; Middle English governour < Old French governeor, gouverneur < Latin gubernātōrem, acc. of gubernātor=gubernā(re) to steer, govern + -tor -tor]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun	1.	governor - the head of a state government bey - the governor of a district or province in the Ottoman Empire eparch - the governor or prefect of an eparchy in ancient Greece governor general - a governor of high rank military governor - the head of a government established by the military (as in a defeated country) nabob, nawab - a governor in India during the Mogul empire politician - a leader engaged in civil administration proconsul - a provincial governor of consular rank in the Roman Republic and Roman Empire satrap - a governor of a province in ancient Persia viceroy, vicereine - governor of a country or province who rules as the representative of his or her king or sovereign
	2.	governor - a control that maintains a steady speed in a machine (as by controlling the supply of fuel) regulator controller, control - a mechanism that controls the operation of a machine; "the speed controller on his turntable was not working properly"; "I turned the controls over to her" flywheel - regulator consisting of a heavy wheel that stores kinetic energy and smooths the operation of a reciprocating engine timer - a regulator that activates or deactivates a mechanism at set times

governor

noun leader, administrator, ruler, head, minister, director, manager, chief, officer, executive, boss (informal), commander, controller, supervisor, superintendent, mandarin, comptroller, functionary, overseer, baas (S. African) He was governor of the province in the late 1970s.

Related words
adjective gubernatorial

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

حاكِمعُضو لَجنَة حاكِمَهوالي إقْليم، حاكِم منطقَه

guvernérregulátorčlen správní rady

bestyrelsesmedlemdirektørguvernørpræsidiemedlem

Gouverneur Vorstand

κυβερνήτης

gobernador alcaide

kuvernöörimaaherra

gouverneur administrateur dominateur

igazgatótanács tagja

ríkisstjóristjórnandi; stjórnarmeîlimurlandstjóri, nÿlendustjóri

governatore

guvernør stattholder

regulator

губернатор регулятор

člen správnej radyguvernér

direktorguverner

valiyönetim kurulu üyesi

主管人员州长总督省长

governor

[ˈgʌvənəʳ]

A. N

1. [of colony, state etc] → gobernador(a) m/f

2. (esp Brit) [of prison] → director(a) m/f

3. (Brit) [of school] → miembro mf del consejo

4. (Brit) (= boss) → jefe m, patrón m; (= father) → viejo m
thanks, governor! → ¡gracias, jefe!

5. (Mech) → regulador m

B. CPD governor general N (Brit) → gobernador(a) m/f general

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

governor

[ˈgʌvə^rnə^r] n

[colony, state, bank] → gouverneur m

[school] → membre m du conseil d'établissement; [hospital] → membre m du conseil d'administration

(British) [prison] → directeur/trice m/fGovernor-General [ˌgʌvə^rnə^rˈdʒɛn^ərəl] n (British) → gouverneur m général

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

governor

(of colony, state etc) → Gouverneur(in) m(f)

(esp Brit, of bank, prison) → Direktor(in) m(f); (of school) → ˜ Mitglied nt → des Schulbeirats; the (board of) governors → der Vorstand; (of bank also) → das Direktorium; (of school) → ˜ der Schulbeirat

(Brit inf: = boss) → Chef m (inf); (= father) → alter Herr (inf)

(Mech) → Regler m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

governor

[ˈgʌvənəʳ] n

a. (of colony, state, bank) → governatore m; (director, of school, hospital) → membro del consiglio di amministrazione (Brit) (of prison) → direttore/trice

b. (of engine) → controllo automatico della velocità

government

(ˈgavəmənt) noun

1. the people who rule a country or state. the British Government.

2. the way in which a country or state is ruled. Democracy is one form of government.

3. the act or process of governing.

governmental (gavnˈmentl) adjective

ˈgovernor noun

1. in the United States, the head of a state. the Governor of Ohio.

2. a member of the committee of people who govern a school, hospital etc. He is on the board of governors.

3. a person who governs a province or colony.

ˈgovernorship noun

References in classic literature ?

"That," said the Sheikh of the village, "is a fox, O Excellency Our Governor."

View in context

This will scarcely, however, be considered as a point upon which any comparison can be grounded; for if, in this particular, there be a resemblance to the king of Great Britain, there is not less a resemblance to the Grand Seignior, to the khan of Tartary, to the Man of the Seven Mountains, or to the governor of New York.

View in context

On reaching the gates of the town, which was a walled one, the municipality came forth to meet him, the bells rang out a peal, and the inhabitants showed every sign of general satisfaction; and with great pomp they conducted him to the principal church to give thanks to God, and then with burlesque ceremonies they presented him with the keys of the town, and acknowledged him as perpetual governor of the island of Barataria.

View in context

This tribe marries only among each other, and the eldest in succession is prince or governor. He has a noble palace, and a park of about three thousand acres, surrounded by a wall of hewn stone twenty feet high.

View in context

"Let us first send for two soldiers," said the governor. "The prisoners sometimes, through mere uneasiness of life, and in order to be sentenced to death, commit acts of useless violence, and you might fall a victim."

View in context

The administration of Sir Edmund Andros lacked scarcely a single characteristic of tyranny: a Governor and Council, holding office from the King, and wholly independent of the country; laws made and taxes levied without concurrence of the people immediate or by their representatives; the rights of private citizens violated, and the titles of all landed property declared void; the voice of complaint stifled by restrictions on the press; and, finally, disaffection overawed by the first band of mercenary troops that ever marched on our free soil.

View in context

Aramis reiterated the expression of his wish to see the governor, whereupon the sentinel called to an officer of lower grade, who was walking about in a tolerably spacious courtyard and who, in turn, on being informed of his object, ran to seek one of the officers of the governor's staff.

View in context

"I know not precisely who next got possession of the chair after Governor Vane went back to England," said Grandfather.

View in context

Hester Prynne went one day to the mansion of Governor Bellingham, with a pair of gloves which she had fringed and embroidered to his order, and which were to be worn on some great occasion of state; for, though the chances of a popular election had caused this former ruler to descend a step or two from the highest rank, he still held an honourable and influential place among the colonial magistracy.

View in context

'but might you be acquainted with the T'other Governor?'

View in context

The same evening that the prince gave his instructions to Alpatych, Dessalles, having asked to see Princess Mary, told her that, as the prince was not very well and was taking no steps to secure his safety, though from Prince Andrew's letter it was evident that to remain at Bald Hills might be dangerous, he respectfully advised her to send a letter by Alpatych to the Provincial Governor at Smolensk, asking him to let her know the state of affairs and the extent of the danger to which Bald Hills was exposed.

View in context

Towards the last, however, our tongues were loosened, and the Story Girl told us a tragic tale of old Charlottetown and a governor's wife who had died of a broken heart in the early days of the colony.