governor-general

noun

gov·​er·​nor-gen·​er·​al ˈgə-vᵊn-ər-ˈjen-rəl How to pronounce governor-general (audio)
-ˈje-nə-,
 also  ˈgə-vər-nər-
plural governors-general or governor-generals
: a governor of high rank
especially : one who governs a large territory or has deputy governors under him

Examples of governor-general in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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They were welcomed for their official arrival by Australia’s governor-general Sam Mostyn, the King’s representative in the country, and her husband Simeon Beckett. Simon Perry, People.com, 18 Oct. 2024 Pamela spent part of her childhood in Australia, where Kenny had been dispatched as military secretary to the governor-general. Margaret Talbot, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024 Among them stood the old Republican Palace where followers of the Mahdi, a cleric, toppled and beheaded the country’s British governor-general, Charles Gordon, in 1885. Declan Walsh Ivor Prickett, New York Times, 5 June 2024 Burke spearheaded the impeachment trial of Warren Hastings, the East India Company’s governor-general of Bengal, in the House of Lords, outraged not by Great Britain’s imperial ambition but with Hasting’s conduct and that of East India Company officials, whom Burke derided. Caroline Elkins, Foreign Affairs, 22 Aug. 2023 Meta isn't the only one unhappy with Canada's law, which yesterday received royal assent from Canada's governor-general and will soon take effect. Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 23 June 2023 On January 1, 1804, as governor-general, Dessalines signed Haiti’s official Declaration of Independence and changed the name of the country back to its indigenous appellation Haïti (Ayiti) while declaring the end of slavery and French rule. Marlene L. Daut, Essence, 17 Oct. 2023 The governor-general of the Belgian Congo, however, declared that the colony would support the Allies. Ngofeen Mputubwele, WIRED, 21 Aug. 2023 After welcoming governors-general and prime ministers of the realm at a palace lunch and doing a surprise walkabout in London earlier in the day, Prince William, 40, and Princess Kate, 41, popped up at the royal residence again to help host the coronation reception for overseas guests. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 5 May 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of governor-general was in 1579

Dictionary Entries Near governor-general

Cite this Entry

“Governor-general.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/governor-general. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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