governing

verb

Definition of governingnext
present participle of govern
1
as in ruling
to exercise authority or power over the president is elected in order to govern the country, not to follow public opinion polls

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in regulating
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in managing
to look after and make decisions about the company's finances are governed by its chief financial officer

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 governing So has Yoshua Bengio, who has spent recent years warning that the risks need governing. — Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 The rules governing retirement accounts aren't the same as those that apply to wages or ordinary bank accounts, however. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026 In their Supreme Court brief, the families' attorneys argue that the law violates basic First Amendment principles governing the separation of church and state. — ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026 Most governing documents also require unit owners to purchase homeowners’ insurance for such casualty losses. — Howard Dakoff, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026 The agreement called for Hamas to completely relinquish any governing role in Gaza. — Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 16 Aug. 2026 Calls for independent review Monday’s open letter is just the latest shot fired at the beleaguered governing body. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026 The Geneva Conventions, a set of treaties governing the conduct of warring parties, which were ratified in the aftermath of the Second World War, forbid the arbitrary detention of civilians. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 A lot of the governing dynamics and motifs here are to put the audience in Kris’s point of view and welcome them through this portal into Billy’s world. — Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 10 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for governing
  1. ruling
  2. regulating
  3. managing
  4. controlling
  5. containing
  6. operating
  7. curbing
  8. overseeing
Verb
  • In the filing, the Justice Department urged the appeals court to reverse the Tennessee federal judge’s ruling dismissing criminal charges against Abrego Garcia.
    — Siladitya Ray, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Russia has defended Min Aung Hliang's military government in international forums while Myanmar's ruling generals have generally supported Moscow’s foreign policy agenda.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of ruling
Verb
  • Perfect for transitional weather, look for traits like water-resistant wax coating, removable hoods and natural fibers like wool for temperature-regulating comfort.
    — Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • Under that most recent amendment, the bill would no longer apply to state actions regulating water use and water quality.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of regulating
Verb
  • Mourinho’s first game back at the Bernabeu should be box-office given the divisions his last spell in charge from 2010 to 2013 caused at Madrid — and his behaviour when managing Benfica against Madrid in the Champions League last year.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Yet Schore makes a compelling case that the greatest opportunity for reclaiming time isn't found by reorganizing schedules but by managing the internal conversations that quietly consume them.
    — Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of managing
Verb
  • The Ravens did that, committing only three penalties for 25 yards (the Eagles had 10 for 96), limiting their mistakes and controlling the line of scrimmage.
    — Jeff Zrebiec, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • During my drives in the Model Y, the vehicle was essentially controlling itself for multiple hours and dozens of miles without intervention on highway and nonhighway roads.
    — Michael Wayland, CNBC, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of controlling
Verb
  • The best kits with oils and lotions can rise to $150, and those containing high-quality straight razors might cost as much as $200.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • The group’s survey efforts are mostly organized into 17 clusters, each containing 12 to 16 individual collection sites spread out in a grid of roughly 14 square miles.
    — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of containing
Verb
  • The high risk of – and challenges of addressing – oil spills and other safety incidents in the hostile Arctic climate are another dissuading factor, as are environmental costs of operating there.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Will Howard, a sixth-round pick last year, guided the Steelers to a touchdown while deftly operating the 2-minute offense.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of operating
Verb
  • Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme heat in Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent, straining power grids, sapping water supplies and curbing farm output.
    — Bloomberg, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Deploying renewables paired with intelligent energy conservation and grid management, individuals, businesses, municipalities, and entire countries are earnestly curbing their CO2 emissions.
    — John Vaillant, Time, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of curbing
Verb
  • Regulatory agencies overseeing the gas and water utilities providing critical pipeline and other infrastructure for private grids must also get involved to stop cost-shifting from the tech industry to their ratepayers.
    — John Kostyack, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Anutin directed a deputy prime minister overseeing legal affairs to expedite a new gun control law, with stronger controls and significantly harsher penalties.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of overseeing

Browse Nearby Words

governessy
governing
government
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Governing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/governing. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on governing

Nglish: Translation of governing for Spanish Speakers

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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

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

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

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
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All