mayor

noun

may·​or ˈmā-ər How to pronounce mayor (audio) ˈmer How to pronounce mayor (audio)
especially before names (ˌ)mer
: an official elected or appointed to act as chief executive or nominal head of a city, town, or borough
mayoral
ˈmā-ə-rəl How to pronounce mayor (audio)
ˈmer-əl;
  ˌmā-ˈȯr-əl How to pronounce mayor (audio)
adjective

Examples of mayor in a Sentence

the mayor of New York
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The mayor appointed six of the nine members of the board in February, and all of his picks voted for the rent freeze. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026 The mayor floated the idea to place Williams on probation for six months, angering the city manager’s supporters in the crowd. — Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026 Some of that money is meant to support a community solar project, according to Emilee Ayers, a spokesperson for the mayor. — Matan Josephy, Idaho Statesman, 3 July 2026 Earlier in the week, the mayor asked New Yorkers to set their air conditioning to 78 degrees as to not overwhelm the power grid. — Bryan West, USA Today, 4 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for mayor

Word History

Etymology

Middle English maire, from Anglo-French, from Latin major greater — more at major

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mayor was in the 14th century

Rhymes for mayor

See All Rhymes for mayor

Browse Nearby Words

mayonnaise
mayor
mayoral
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mayor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mayor. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

Legal Definition

mayor

noun
may·​or ˈmā-ər, ˈmer How to pronounce mayor (audio)
: an official elected or appointed to act as chief executive or nominal head of a city, town, or borough

More from Merriam-Webster on mayor

Nglish: Translation of mayor for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mayor

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All