govern

verb
UK: /ˈɡʌv.ən/
US: /ˈɡʌv.ɚn/

  1. To control and direct the public business of a country, city, etc.

    1. The president will govern the country for four years.
    2. The new laws govern how companies operate within the state, ensuring fair practices.

  2. To influence or control somebody or something.

    1. He needs to govern his anger and stay calm.
    2. Market forces govern the prices of goods, influenced by supply and demand.

  3. To have power over; rule.

    1. Kings used to govern many lands long ago.
    2. Tradition and cultural norms still govern many aspects of daily life in the village.

Synonyms

rule lead control administer manage oversee direct
govern intransitive-verb

  1. To control the actions or behavior of oneself.

    1. I try to govern myself calmly.
    2. It is important to govern yourself and make decisions in a responsible way.
govern transitive-verb

  1. To require a particular grammatical case.

    1. In Latin, some verbs govern the dative case.
    2. Certain prepositions in German govern the accusative or dative case depending on context.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "govern" in English means: To control and direct the public business of a country, city, etc., To influence or control somebody or something., To have power over; rule..

The phonetic transcription of "govern" is /ˈɡʌv.ən/ in British English and /ˈɡʌv.ɚn/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "govern": rule, lead, control, administer, manage, oversee, direct.

Example usage of "govern": "The president will govern the country for four years.". More examples on the page.