GOVERNS Synonyms: 98 Similar and Opposite Words

governs

verb

present tense third-person singular of govern

as in rules

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

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as in regulates

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in operates

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

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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 governs While Boise officials decide zoning and land use, ACHD governs local streets, and the Idaho Transportation Department controls State Street itself, legally a portion of State Highway 44. — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 16 Oct. 2026 With different-sized bubbles, the experiment showed that the size of the largest bubble governs the flow direction. — Muskan Bhatia, Interesting Engineering, 15 Oct. 2026 Like Jonah, Jay confronts the possibility that divine will, fate, or whatever governs the universe cannot be outrun. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026 The Board of Regents will vote Thursday on changes to the Title IX policy, which governs harassment and discrimination. — Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 14 Oct. 2026 The 10th Circuit governs federal district courts in six states—Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah and Wyoming—and its rulings are influential, though not binding, elsewhere. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2026 There is something called the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which governs maritime activities, including those in the Arctic. — Dave Davies, NPR, 14 Oct. 2026 But such a switch is permitted under the rules of the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), which governs high school sports in the state. — Matt Calkins Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 The role will also oversee political giving as the company seeks a bigger voice in how Washington governs AI. — Diane Brady, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for governs

Verb

Florida High School Athletic Association rules state that runners who don’t participate in district meets are ineligible for region races.

— Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Oct. 2026
Rebekka Nygård Bak, an adviser to Greenland’s fisheries ministry, told the outlet that rules requiring bycatch-friendly equipment and better bycatch reporting could also help.

— Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of rules

Verb

The medications work by blocking certain chemical messengers in the part of the brain that regulates body temperature and manages sleep/wake cycles, according to the guidance.

— Shannon Firth, NPR, 16 Oct. 2026
That finding is now being read against a parallel body of research on circadian rhythm, the 24-hour internal clock that regulates eating, sleeping and other physiological processes.

— Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of regulates

Verb

Beyond rocket production, Blue Origin operates facilities across Cocoa, Melbourne, Orlando, and Titusville.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Djrum is the rare DJ who operates almost entirely outside the world of genre; his sets swing from breakcore to IDM, jungle to techno, garage to field recordings to—well—whatever, really, depending on mood.

— Ben Cardew, Pitchfork, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of operates

Verb

Request the treating physician’s name and qualifications, then ask who performs each stage and how the physician supervises the team.

— Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026
Frot-Coutaz also supervises Sky Studios Elstree, Sky’s state-of-the-art film and TV studio, plus Sky Studios’ global portfolio of production companies that includes Blast!

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of supervises

Verb

But physicists have long suspected that at a subatomic level, there is a something that inherently controls how fast these changes can occur.

— Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
In fact, as Darman tutored me, the staff secretary sees and controls all information that goes to the President.

— Bob Woodward, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of controls

Verb

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which oversees vehicle safety, largely relies on automakers to certify that their cars meet federal standards.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
Working with her daughter Rachele Regini, who oversees much of the programming, Chiuri hopes to create a space where theater, dance, music and other disciplines intersect.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of oversees

Verb

Highly possible, yet the USA keeps assuring Ukranian leaders that the support of the United States is with them.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
One of cosmology’s greatest mysteries is the nature of dark energy—the invisible force that keeps the universe expanding at an ever-increasing rate.

— Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 15 Oct. 2026