Synonyms for govern
ˈgʌv ərngov·ern

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. govern

   Govern carries the idea of authoritative administration or some exercise of authority that is at once effective and continuous; control is effective, but may be momentary or occasional. One controls what he holds or can hold at will absolutely in check; as, a skilful horseman controls a spirited horse; a person controls his temper; we say to one who is excited, "control yourself." A person commands another when he has, or claims, the right to make that other do his will, with power of inflicting penalty if not obeyed; he controls another whom he can effectually prevent from doing anything contrary to his will; he governs one whom he actually does cause, regularly or constantly, to obey his will; a parent may command a child whom he can not govern or control. The best teachers are not greatly prone to command, but govern or control their pupils largely by other means. Command is, however, often used in the sense of securing, as well as requiring, submission or obedience, as when we speak of a commanding influence; a man commands the situation when he can shape events as he pleases; a fortress commands the region when no enemy can pass against its resistance. Govern implies the exercise of knowledge and judgment as well as power. To rule is more absolute and autocratic than to govern; to sway is to move by quiet but effectual influence; to mold is not only to influence feeling and action, but to shape character; to manage is to secure by skilful contrivance the doing of one's will by those whom one can not directly control; a wise mother, by gentle means, sways the feelings and molds the lives of her children; to be able to manage servants is an important element of good housekeeping. The word reign, once so absolute, now simply denotes that one holds the official station of sovereign in a monarchy, with or without effective power; the Queen of England reigns; the Czar of Russia both reigns and rules.

   Synonyms:
   command, control, curb, direct, influence, manage, mold, reign, reign over, restrain, rule, sway

   Antonyms:
   be in subjection, be subject, comply, obey, submit, yield

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. govern

   Synonyms:
   rule, direct, control, moderate, guide, sway, supervise, manage, command, conduct

   Antonyms:
   misrule, misdirect, miscontrol

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. regulate, regularize, regularise, order, governverb

   bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage; impose regulations

   "We cannot regulate the way people dress"; "This town likes to regulate"

   Synonyms:
   put, ordain, regularise, order, dictate, arrange, set up, say, grade, ordinate, range, influence, determine, mold, baffle, consecrate, rule, enjoin, modulate, rank, regulate, rate, tell, shape, prescribe, place, regularize

2. governverb

   direct or strongly influence the behavior of

   "His belief in God governs his conduct"

   Synonyms:
   regularize, rule, order, regularise, regulate

3. govern, ruleverb

   exercise authority over; as of nations

   "Who is governing the country now?"

   Synonyms:
   reign, rule, rein, predominate, regularize, harness, dominate, find, order, prevail, decree, regulate, regularise

4. governverb

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

   "most transitive verbs govern the accusative case in German"

   Synonyms:
   regularize, rule, order, regularise, regulate

Matched Categories

1. • Control
   • Require

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. governverb

   Synonyms:
   conduct, manage, supervise, regulate, have the direction of, have the charge of

2. governverb

   Synonyms:
   direct, guide, steer

3. governverb

   Synonyms:
   control, restrain, curb, bridle, rule, sway, command

4. governverb

   Synonyms:
   rule, have control, exercise authority, hold the reins, bear sway, have the charge

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. governverb

   Synonyms:
   direct, control, regulate, command, reign, influence, restrain, bridle, guide

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "govern":

   regulate, steer, guide, manage

Suggested Resources

1. govern

   The govern symbol -- In this Symbols.com article you will learn about the meaning of the govern symbol and its characteristic.

How to pronounce govern?

How to say govern in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use govern in a sentence?

1. Marcus Aurelius:

   If you have been placed in a position above others, are you automatically going to behave like a despot? Remember who you are and whom you govern – that they are kinsmen, brothers by nature, fellow descendants of Zeus.

2. Jefferson Davis:

   I worked night and day for twelve years to prevent the war, but I could not. The North was mad and blind, would not let us govern ourselves, and so the war came.

3. Ayanna Pressley:

   It's about who I listen to and it's about who I govern with. And there are a lot of people in this district who feel left out and left behind and ignored -- and it's not just women, it's not just people of color, it runs the gamut. And I think after a generation, the district deserves a choice.

4. Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address:

   Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the governing of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the forms of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question.

5. Tom Davis:

   [A speakership coup] would be the worse thing that could happen to the party. It would show they can't govern their own caucus, let alone the government, when people unhappy with Obama look to Republicans for a governing party, this is the last thing they want to see.