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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Relevance

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 That’s because the agreement governs property in the form of assets and income, not identity. — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2026 Rule 144 governs the sale of restricted and control securities. — Joshua Harmon, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 The Clean Air Act is the federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources and governs air pollution. — Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 3 July 2026 Thomas added that Cancer is connected to home life, family, ancestry and emotional foundations, while Capricorn governs career, public image and professional success. — ABC News, 26 June 2026 The preliminary injunction filed Wednesday asks the court to stop work on the facility for as long as the lawsuit goes through court, arguing that the project is likely dangerous for human health and the environment and violates the law that governs cooperation between federal and local government. — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 25 June 2026 Consumer Watchdog contended in its lawsuit that the surcharges violated Proposition 103 — the 1988 measure that governs insurer rate hikes — because the proposition does not allow for them. — Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 The framework that currently governs Palestinian workers in Israel dates to 1994, when Israeli and Palestinian officials agreed to the Paris Protocol of the Oslo Accords. — Nirit Peled, New Yorker, 26 June 2026 Organizers ruled North American country could compete after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which governs the song contest, allowed the CBC/Radio-Canada fully into its fold last week. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 2 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for governs

Verb

The California Foster Youth Bill of Rights comes into play when deciding what rules the county can place on the youths.

— Theresa Clift July 2, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
The city has also been fighting Miami-Dade County rules around transit stations that allow developers to substantially scale up residential and commercial projects.

— Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026

Definition of rules

Verb

The Federal Aviation Administration regulates the airspace, and drone owners are responsible for knowing and abiding by those restrictions.

— Kelly O'Donnell, NBC news, 5 July 2026
The Clean Air Act is the federal law that regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources and governs air pollution.

— Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Definition of regulates

Verb

The 585-acre neighborhood contains 5 million square feet of office space, including 250,000 square feet of medical offices where John Muir Health has been expanding.

— George Avalos, Mercury News, 6 July 2026
The ancient Moa Eggshell Cave in New Zealand contains the remains of several extinct animal species lost approximately a million years ago.

— Devika Rao, TheWeek, 6 July 2026

Definition of contains

Verb

Milshtein previously served as adviser to COGAT, which supervises civilian policy in the West Bank and in the Gaza Strip.

— Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 19 May 2026
As chief of patrol, Hein supervises the most visible aspects of the Police Department that define its image in the minds of most Chicagoans, including emergency response, crisis intervention, traffic control, routine patrol and community policing efforts.

— Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 16 May 2026

Definition of supervises

Verb

History shows family successions, whether in North Korea or Syria, tend to happen through rigid authoritarian control, with the transfer of power underwritten by whoever controls the military.

— Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
Even Realities, which was founded in 2023, launched the Even G2 smart glasses with a bigger display in a lighter frame late last year, alongside the Even R1, a smart ring that controls the display of the G2.

— Jenny Lee,Anniek Bao, CNBC, 6 July 2026

Definition of controls

Verb

This 12-jurist body oversees the activities of Iran’s parliament, determining if laws passed are compatible with sharia and can demand that legislation be revised.

— Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
The Alamo Trust, the nonprofit organization that oversees the Alamo Mission, announced the discovery on June 16.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026

Definition of oversees

Verb

Imagine a supply chain agent that checks inventory levels regularly, spots potential shortfalls, keeps a list of alternative suppliers and makes purchases when needed.

— Greg Pavlik, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
The fact is the Original 13 state keeps some paperwork under lock and key for 100 years to everyone except the participants.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 2 July 2026