Meaning & Definition of Govern in English

1. Bring into conformity with rules or principles or usage

• Impose regulations

• "We cannot regulate the way people dress"

• "This town likes to regulate"

2. Direct or strongly influence the behavior of

• "His belief in god governs his conduct"

3. Exercise authority over

• As of nations

• "Who is governing the country now?"

4. Require to be in a certain grammatical case, voice, or mood

• "Most transitive verbs govern the accusative case in german"