Govern (Verb)
Meaning 1
Direct or strongly influence the behavior of; "His belief in God governs his conduct".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- Her sense of responsibility governs her decision-making process.
- The company's mission statement governs its business practices and policies.
- His fear of failure governs his approach to new challenges.
- The laws of physics govern the motion of celestial bodies.
- Her strong sense of morality governs her interactions with others.
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Meaning 2
Exercise authority over; as of nations; "Who is governing the country now?".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The prime minister will govern the country until the next election.
- A council of elders governs the small village, making decisions for the community.
- The government has been struggling to govern the vast and diverse territory.
- A strong leader is needed to govern the newly formed state.
- The queen governs the kingdom with the help of her trusted advisors.
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Meaning 3
Bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations; "We cannot regulate the way people dress"; "This town likes to regulate".
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The new management team was tasked with govern the financial affairs of the company in accordance with strict regulations.
- Laws and policies govern the behavior of employees in government offices.
- We must govern the usage of the software according to the license agreement.
- It's hard to govern the content that appears on social media platforms.
- Government agencies govern the flow of money to support various programs.
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Meaning 4
Require to be in a certain grammatical case, voice, or mood; "most transitive verbs govern the accusative case in German".
Classification
Verbs of being, having, spatial relations.
Examples
- The verb "to see" governs the accusative case in Latin.
- In German, the verb "to help" governs the dative case.
- The verb "to give" governs the indirect object in the dative case.
- The verb "to persuade" governs the subjunctive mood in French.
- The verb "to order" governs the infinitive mood in Spanish.