governverb
uk/ˈɡʌv.ən/us/ˈɡʌv.ɚn/govern verb (RULE)
B2 [ I or T ] to control and direct the public business of a country, city, group of people, etc.:
The country has been governed by military regimes.
A president needs popular support in order to govern effectively.
More examples
- We are governed, in Lord Hailsham's famous phrase, by an 'elective dictatorship'.
- The country's being governed by a bunch of incompetents.
- He was chosen to govern the colony by the British government.
- He has been governing the country since taking power in a military coup.
- Another defeat in parliament would seriously weaken the president's ability to govern.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Ruling & governing
- absolute
- administration
- affairs of state
- ascend
- ascend the throne idiom
- Comintern
- corridor
- government-owned
- government-sponsored
- governmental
- hung parliament
- incumbency
- officially
- oppressive
- reign
- repress
- repression
- repressive
- sovereignty
- statecraft
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govern verb (INFLUENCE)
[ T ] to have a controlling influence on something:
Prices of goods are governed by the cost of the raw materials, as well as by the cost of production and distribution.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Controlling and being in charge
- aggrandize
- assume
- assumption
- authoritative
- balance of power
- divide
- dominant
- have sb by the balls idiom
- have sb eating out of your hand idiom
- have sb in the palm of your hand idiom
- have sth in hand idiom
- heel
- high-handed
- hook
- pull
- pull rank idiom
- pull the strings idiom
- putty
- regimentation
- rein
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