Meaning of govern in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈɡəvərn/

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  1. Verb

    govern

    Etymology

    Middle English: from Old French governer, from Latin gubernare‘to steer, rule’, from Greek kubernan‘to steer’

    Definitions

    1. bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage

    Examples

    • « impose regulations »
    • « We cannot regulate the way people dress »
    • « This town likes to regulate »

    Antonyms

    Derived terms

  2. 2. direct or strongly influence the behavior of

    Examples

    • « His belief in God governs his conduct »

    Derived terms

  3. 3. exercise authority over

    Examples

    • « as of nations »
    • « Who is governing the country now? »

    Derived terms

  4. 4. require to be in a certain grammatical case, voice, or mood

    Examples

    • « most transitive verbs govern the accusative case in German »

Famous quotes

  • « I have no ambition to govern men it is a painful and thankless office. »
    Thomas Jefferson
  • « No man is good enough to govern another man without the other's consent. »
    Abraham Lincoln
  • « The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern: every class is unfit to govern. »
    Lord Acton
  • « And when a woman's will is as strong as the man's who wants to govern her, half her strength must be concealment. »
    George Eliot
  • « It is not in the nature of politics that the best men should be elected. The best men do not want to govern their fellowmen. »
    George MacDonald

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