govern
to rule over by right of authority: to govern a nation.
to exercise a directing or restraining influence over; guide: the motives governing a decision.
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.
to exercise the function of government.
to have predominating influence.
Origin of govern
1synonym study For govern
Other words for govern
Opposites for govern
Other words from govern
- gov·ern·a·ble, adjective
- gov·ern·a·bil·i·ty, gov·ern·a·ble·ness, noun
- o·ver·gov·ern, verb (used with object)
- re·gov·ern, verb (used with object)
- su·per·gov·ern, verb (used with object)
- un·gov·erned, adjective
- un·gov·ern·ing, adjective
- well-governed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for govern
/ (ˈɡʌvən) /
(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
Origin of govern
1Derived forms of govern
- governable, adjective
- governability or governableness, noun
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
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