govern

Meaning

Verb

1. (transitive) To make and administer the public policy and affairs of; to exercise sovereign authority in.
2. (intransitive) To exercise political authority; to run a government.
3. (transitive) To control the actions or behavior of; to keep under control; to restrain.
4. (transitive) To exercise a deciding or determining influence on.
5. (intransitive) To have or exercise a determining influence.
6. (obsolete, transitive) To handle, to manage, to oversee (a matter, an affair, a household, etc.).
7. (transitive) To control the speed, flow etc. of; to regulate.
8. (obsolete, transitive) To direct the course of, to guide in some direction, to steer.
9. (obsolete, transitive) To look after, to take care of, to tend to (someone or some plant).
10. (obsolete, transitive) To manage, to control, to work (a tool or mechanical device).
11. (transitive) To require that a certain preposition, grammatical case, etc. be used with a word; sometimes used synonymously with collocate.

Noun

The act of governing

Synonyms

rule

control

reign

manage

command

restrain

administer

direct

order

regulate

dominate

supervise

handle

lead

administrate

decree

check

dictate

determine

master

bid

sway

tell

demand

do

curb

act

guide

condition

suppress

run

stipulate

regularize

dominant

allocate

rule over

oversee

overshadow

mandate

navigate

prescribe

appoint

keep down

instruct

exact

boss

enjoin

protect

regularise

tend

Translations

gouverner

governare

gobernar

regieren

herrschen

régner

régir

governar

regeren

beherrschen

besturen

regir

governar

regere

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɡʌvən/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: governen

In summary

From Middle English governen, governe, from Anglo-Norman and Old French governer, guverner, from Latin gubernō, from Ancient Greek κυβερνάω (kubernáō, “I steer, drive, govern”).