What does "govern" mean?
Govern: To regulate; to influence; to direct; to restrain; to manage; as, to govern the life; to govern a horse. Govern well thy appetite. Milton.
Additional senses
- 2.(Gram.) To require to be in a particular case; as, a transitive verb governs a noun in the objective case; or to require (a particular case); as, a transitive verb governs the objective case.
- 3.To exercise authority; to administer the laws; to have the control. Dryden.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00