govern

/ˈgʌvərn/

/ˈgʌvən/

Other forms: governed; governing; governs

To govern is to rule, lead, oversee, or otherwise control. Each U.S. state has its own governor, whose job it is to govern the affairs of that state.

While it's true that governors govern — that is, they head the executive branch of their state government — there are lots of other ways to use the verb govern. Almost anything that controls or has a lot of influence over something else can be said to govern. The rules of tennis, for example, govern the way that game is played. In mechanics, a device that controls other devices is called a governor. My dog's basic needs govern the way my household is run: his schedule is our schedule.

Definitions of govern

1. verb

   exercise authority over; as of nations
   “Who is governing the country now?”

   synonyms: rule

   types:

   throne

   sit on the throne as a ruler

   misgovern

   govern badly

   dictate

   rule as a dictator

   reign

   have sovereign power

   grind down, tyrannise, tyrannize

   rule a country as a tyrant

   type of:

   command, control

   exercise authoritative control or power over
2. verb

   direct or strongly influence the behavior of
   “His belief in God governs his conduct”

   type of:

   command, control

   exercise authoritative control or power over
3. verb

   bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations
   synonyms: order, regularise, regularize, regulate

   types:

   standardise, standardize

   cause to conform to standard or norm

   district, zone

   regulate housing in; of certain areas of towns

   gauge

   adapt to a specified measurement

   type of:

   decide, determine, make up one's mind

   reach, make, or come to a decision about something
4. verb

   require to be in a certain grammatical case, voice, or mood
   “most transitive verbs govern the accusative case in German”

   type of:

   ask, call for, demand, involve, necessitate, need, postulate, require, take

   require as useful, just, or proper