How to Use governess in a Sentence

governess

noun
  • Maybe for a governess, but a maid?
    — Christina Grace Tucker, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026
  • In the past, future heirs to the throne stayed at home with a governess.
    — Jorge Mitssunaga, CNN, 10 Oct. 2021
  • Curie endured years of misery as a governess, but the plan worked.
    — Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, 16 Dec. 2022
  • The story of two orphans and a dead governess isn’t much of a sales pitch.
    — Shannon Carlin, refinery29.com, 13 Oct. 2020
  • Would Lillian like to play governess to her two stepchildren?
    — Leah Greenblatt, EW.com, 21 Oct. 2019
  • Marie Curie worked as a governess in the earliest days of her research.
    — Connor Lynch, Discover Magazine, 10 Oct. 2022
  • The plot follows a young governess charged with the care of two young children in a remote country house.
    — cleveland, 15 June 2020
  • When a young governess arrives from London, things begin to go awry.
    — oregonlive, 7 Oct. 2020
  • The others claim not to see her, so the governess gets hysterical.
    — Natalie Morin, refinery29.com, 9 Oct. 2020
  • His father worked as a janitor and mother a governess.
    — Jan Goldsmith, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The roles of teacher or governess are the only respectable options open to the young women.
    — Heller McAlpin, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Apr. 2025
  • Take over all five bedrooms but leave the cooking up to Nadia, the governess of the riad.
    — Lauren Burvill, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Velvet drapes re-sewn like Maria von Trapp is my benevolent governess.
    — Raven Smith, Vogue, 22 Oct. 2020
  • In James’ novella, two children and Dani, their governess, head to a country house.
    — Lydia Wang, refinery29.com, 25 Aug. 2020
  • This secures Sue in her resolve to move to Boston and become a governess.
    — Kristin Vartan, EW.com, 11 Nov. 2019
  • The ladies Carnarvon, their daughters, and their guests—not to mention the governesses, maids, and cooks?
    — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Bands of pearls festoon their hair, in contrast to the gray-haired demeanor of their governess, a gentle figure peeking in from the right side.
    — Deborah Solomon, New York Times, 16 Dec. 2019
  • The story is told from the perspective of an unnamed governess who takes a job caring for two young orphans at a remote country home.
    — Sabienna Bowman, refinery29.com, 23 Jan. 2020
  • The Baroness can’t help but worry that the captain has more than an employer’s regard for his children’s governess.
    — Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2017
  • Later, along with her little brother and governess, Esme walks into the tea room where the soldier has taken refuge from the rain.
    — Lauren Markham, Longreads, 7 June 2018
  • Most governesses at this time earned between £20 and £30 a year, some as little as £12.
    — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Two young orphans, Miles and Flora, are under the care of a governess at their uncle’s great house in the country.
    — John Banville, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2020
  • Grant worked as a cook for the Greens during high school, and came back to work on weekends as a governess, teaching children there, while in college.
    — David Anderson, baltimoresun.com, 24 Feb. 2021
  • Victoria's governess, Louise Lehzen, got the princess a doctor in secret, saving her life.
    — Chanel Vargas, Town & Country, 4 Jan. 2018
  • Their busy careers left Carrie and her brother to be raised by a grandmother and a governess, home at times their mother’s hotel rooms.
    — Douglass K. Daniel, SFChronicle.com, 31 Dec. 2019
  • The story follows two orphans looked after by a young governess named Dani (played by Pedretti).
    — Nick Romano, EW.com, 28 Aug. 2019
  • Her family employed two maids and a French governess for Evelyn and her brother, Rudolph.
    — James R. Hagerty, WSJ, 9 Nov. 2018
  • The Turn of the Screw, which features the tale of two orphans looked after by a young governess, who acts as the story’s narrator.
    — Nick Romano, EW.com, 28 June 2019
  • During that time, Anne was at the mercy of a sadistic governess, Miss Bonner, who tied her hands to the bedposts at night.
    — Rebecca Mead, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2023
  • Julie Andrews stars as Maria, a kind-hearted governess who brings a love of music to the seven children under her tutelage.
    — Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 21 Jan. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'governess.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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