- present tense form of govern (3rd person singular).
governs
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Concacaf, which governs football in North and Central America and hosted this year's World Cup, said its 41 member associations have "rejected" Fifa's proposal.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon -- whose National Party governs in a coalition with NZ First -- has condemned Peter's "inappropriate attention-seeking" comments.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
“What they have done is lower the standard for everything,” said Ali Khawar, a former senior official at the Department of Labor, which is charged with enforcing the federal law that governs retirement savings.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Under federal tax-exempt organization law, he said, the “private benefit doctrine” governs whether a nonprofit’s overall activities unduly benefit any single individual — including through indirect payments to entities they own.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
For example: Here’s an explanation of the rhetorical term syllepsis: “the use of a word that relates to, qualifies, or governs two or more other words but has a different meaning in relation to each.”
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
