GOVERNING Synonyms: 100 Similar and Opposite Words

governing

verb

Definition of governing

present participle of govern

as in ruling

to exercise authority or power over the president is elected in order to govern the country, not to follow public opinion polls

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in regulating

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression) you need to govern your speech and be able to communicate your outrage without resorting to profanity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in managing

to look after and make decisions about the company's finances are governed by its chief financial officer

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of governing And the United States has also failed to invest consistently in international technical standards — the common rules governing advanced and interconnected technologies such as telecommunications. — Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026 However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose religious-nationalist coalition is projected to lose its governing majority at the October 27 election, has been more circumspect. — Reuters, NBC news, 19 Oct. 2026 Rebel alliance faces divisions The TPLF joined six other opposition groups in September to try to overthrow Abiy’s governing Prosperity Party. — Khaled Kazziha, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 Their commitment and disposition to become familiar with governing documents, ask informed questions, and work constructively with other directors are often more important than simply having strong opinions about community issues. — Gary M. Mars, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026 Texas may be the Wild West, with fewer rules governing self-driving cars than most states, but California is still the gold standard. — Andrew Hawkins, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026 Commercial licensing, confidentiality, the protection of original production materials and the terms governing third-party AI tools are all important considerations in our approach. — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026 The other two judges, Kelly and Tymkovich, concluded the NCAA made a sufficient showing under the factors governing stays pending appeal, including on the merits and irreparable harm. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026 Vuitton succeeded Zegna as the team’s official off-field outfitter, and has partnered with FIFA, the sport’s international governing body, since 2010 to create the trunk for the World Cup winner’s trophy. — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for governing

Verb

The ruling party needs a majority of at least 61 seats out of 120 in the Knesset.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 18 Oct. 2026
In December 2025, the CFPB under Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought withdrew the proposal, ruling that fees and voluntary tips were not finance charges.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of ruling

Verb

Witch fever, by this point in history, had become a mechanism for brutally regulating and disciplining female behavior, and doing so intergenerationally.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Skill game machines are disappearing from businesses and private clubs across Pennsylvania after lawmakers failed to pass legislation regulating them before the state's deadline.

— Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of regulating

Verb

Positioning the commercial arm of the 100-year-old BBC for a streaming future while managing the traditional linear channels that still do great business in many international territories.

— Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026
Years later, there’s still work to be done managing a film’s intellectual property rights and corporate vehicles.

— Kim Jackson, IndieWire, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of managing

Verb

Virginia did a good job controlling SMU for long stretches, but a few big plays negated all that.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Since Oppenheim and Fielder can’t record her there, their contact is mediated through her seemingly unstable and controlling husband, Billy Evans.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of controlling

Verb

Instead of exchanging the entire print head, the K3 swaps a smaller assembly containing the nozzle, hotend and filament path.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
An anonymous security engineer on OpenAI’s agent security team argued in a recent post that containing models had become too complex.

— Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of containing

Verb

As a major bloc that has been able to apply pressure, the union has thwarted several efforts by Mamdani’s predecessors to ban the attraction, as hundreds of carriage operators make a living operating the buggies.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
Industry participants observed a live demonstration of LGMG’s electric mining trucks operating alongside intelligent fleet dispatch, solar generation, energy storage, and ultra-fast charging infrastructure.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of operating

Verb

Defensive capabilities ‘artificially restricted’ That information deficit has been compounded by Elon Musk’s Starlink curbing some internet services in Ukraine, according to local officials.

— Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Its produce is pivotal in curbing supply-side inflation domestically, and the country ranks among the top global exporters of rice and sugar.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of curbing

Verb

Judge Heather Beato, appointed by DeSantis to the 10th Judicial Circuit in 2020, is overseeing the case, a court docket shows.

— Justin Garcia, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Instead, the board should function as a concert of great powers, both democratic and autocratic, tasked with managing crises and overseeing and building consensus on matters of global governance.

— Charles Kupchan, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of overseeing

Browse Nearby Words

governessy

governing

government

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Governing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/governing. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of governing

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

jilt

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes