govern Meaning, Definition & Usage

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

WordNet

Gov"ern transitive verb
Etymology
OF. governer, F. gouverner, fr. L. gubernare to steer, pilot, govern, Gr. . Cf. Gubernatorial.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Governed ; present participle & verbal noun Governing
Definitions
  1. To direct and control, as the actions or conduct of men, either by established laws or by arbitrary will; to regulate by authority. "Fit to govern and rule multitudes." Shak.
  2. To regulate; to influence; to direct; to restrain; to manage; as, to govern the life; to govern a horse.
    Govern well thy appetite. Milton.
  3. (Gram.) 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.
Gov"ern intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To exercise authority; to administer the laws; to have the control. Dryden.

Webster 1913