Meaning

11 senses
  1. (transitive)To make and administer the public policy and affairs of; to exercise sovereign authority in.

    The old king governed the land wisely.

    regieren, steuern

    пра́витьprávitʹ, управля́тьupravljátʹ

    пра́витиprávyty, керува́тиkeruváty

    exercise authority over; as of nations

  2. (intransitive)To exercise political authority; to run a government.

    regieren

    управля́тьupravljátʹ

    керува́тиkeruváty, пра́витиprávyty

  3. (transitive)To control the actions or behavior of; to keep under control; to restrain.

    Govern yourselves like civilized people.

    a student who could not govern his impulses

    regulieren

    управля́тьupravljátʹ, владе́тьvladétʹ

    керува́тиkeruváty

  4. (transitive)To exercise a deciding or determining influence on.

    Chance governs the outcome of many card games.

    lenken

    влия́тьvlijátʹ

    вплива́тиvplyváty

  5. (intransitive)To have or exercise a determining influence.

    regeln

    влия́тьvlijátʹ

    вплива́тиvplyváty

  6. (transitive)To control the speed, flow etc. of; to regulate.

    a valve that governs fuel intake

    regeln

    регули́роватьregulírovatʹ, управля́тьupravljátʹ

    регулюва́тиrehuljuváty, керува́тиkeruváty

  7. (transitive)To require that a certain preposition, grammatical case, etc. be used with a word.

    управлятьupravljatʹ

    require to be in a certain grammatical case, voice, or mood

  8. (obsolete, transitive)To handle, to manage, to oversee (a matter, an affair, a household, etc.).

  9. (obsolete, transitive)To direct the course of, to guide in some direction, to steer.

  10. (obsolete, transitive)To look after, to take care of, to tend to (someone or some plant).

  11. (obsolete, transitive)To manage, to control, to work (a tool or mechanical device).

Examples

99 sentences
  1. Who'll govern the country?

    Хто керуватиме країною?

    ruКто будет управлять страной?

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  2. The king governed the country.

    Король керував країною.

    ruКороль правил страной.

    deDer König regierte das Land.

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  3. I think people should be allowed to govern themselves.

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  4. The most important feature of all games is that they are governed by rules.

    ruСамая важная черта всех игр - они все имеют правила.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · CK · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem
  5. It's a difficult country to govern.

    deDas ist ein schwer zu regierendes Land.

    CC BY · Tatoeba · _undertoad · B1Open on TatoebaReport a problem

Translations

9 languages
Українська
By meaning 3
to exercise sovereign authority in:
to exercise a determining influence on:
to control the speed or magnitude of:
Русский
By meaning 5
to exercise sovereign authority in:
to control the actions of:
to exercise a determining influence on:
to control the speed or magnitude of:
grammar: to require that a certain preposition, grammatical case, etc. be used with a word:
Deutsch
By meaning 4
to exercise sovereign authority in:
to control the actions of:
to exercise a determining influence on:
(intr.) to have a determining influence:

Origin

From Middle English governen, governe, from Anglo-Norman and Old French governer, guverner

From Middle English governen, governe, from Anglo-Norman and Old French governer, guverner, from Latin gubernō, from Ancient Greek κυβερνάω (kubernáō, “to steer, drive, govern”). Displaced native Old English wealdan, whence modern dialectical English wald (“to govern”).

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Forms

governs, governing, governed, governed
Base formgovern · to govern
3rd person singulargoverns
Present participlegoverning
Past simplegoverned
Past participlegoverned

regular · Lesson

Present simpleLesson

I, you, we, theygovern
he, she, itgoverns

Past simpleLesson

all personsgoverned

Present perfectLesson

I, you, we, theyhave governed
he, she, ithas governed

Future simple (will)Lesson

all personswill govern

Synonyms

6 synonyms
Close in meaning

Word family

14 related words

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
govern — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto