WordWeb Online

1. Bring into conformity with rules, principles or usage; impose regulations
   "We cannot govern the way people dress";
   - regulate, regularize, regularise [Brit], order
    
2. Direct or strongly influence the behaviour of
   "His belief in God governs his conduct"
    
3. Exercise authority over; as of nations
   "Who is governing the country now?";
   - rule
    
4. Require to be in a certain grammatical case, voice, or mood
   "most transitive verbs govern the accusative case in German"
    
5. Determine; be able to change
   "rooms are equipped with air conditioning system to govern the temperature";
   - control

Derived forms: governing, governs, governed

Type of: ask, call for, command, control, decide, demand, determine, involve, make up one's mind, necessitate, need, postulate, require, take

Encyclopedia: Govern