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govern

governverb

American /ˈɡʌv.ɚn/ British /ˈɡʌv.ən/ Govern is said GUV-ern, with the stress on the first part; the o sounds like the u in sun.

third-person singular governs past tense governed past participle governed present participle governing

very commondefining vocabulary

ruleofficially control a country, a state, or a city and its people
transitive or intransitive [T/I] verb + object [V + obj] politics
- The country is governed by an elected parliament. V + obj (passive)
- The party has governed alone for many years.
- It is not easy to govern a large and divided country. V + obj
Collocations
verb + noun govern a country, govern a state, govern the city
adverb + verb govern well, govern fairly
Synonyms rule
controldecide or control how something happens or is done
transitive [T] verb + object [V + obj] formal
- Strict rules govern the use of the lab equipment. V + obj
- Her choices are governed by what her family needs. V + obj (passive)
- Price is not the only thing that governs what people buy. V + obj
Collocations
noun + verb rules govern something, laws govern something
verb + noun govern the use of something, govern behavior
Synonyms control

Word family

government
governor

See also rule

For translators

Pronunciation trap "govern": the first o sounds like the u in sun, not like the o in go.