Definition Definition

govern - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'govern' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Govern [ v. i.]
- To exercise authority; to administer the laws; to have the control.
2 . Govern [ v. t.]
- To direct and control, as the actions or conduct of men, either by established laws or by arbitrary will; to regulate by authority.
- To regulate; to influence; to direct; to restrain; to manage; as, to govern the life; to govern a horse.
- To require to be in a particular case; as, a transitive verb governs a noun in the objective case; or to require (a particular case); as, a transitive verb governs the objective case.

Meaning of 'govern' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . govern [ v]
Meaning (1):
- direct or strongly influence the behavior of
Example in sentence:
  • His belief in God governs his conduct
Meaning (2):
- require to be in a certain grammatical case, voice, or mood
Example in sentence:
  • most transitive verbs govern the accusative case in German
Meaning (3):
- bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations
Example in sentence:
  • This town likes to regulate;
  • We cannot regulate the way people dress
Meaning (4):
- exercise authority over; as of nations
Example in sentence:
  • Who is governing the country now?