mayor

noun

may·​or ˈmā-ər  ˈmer 

especially before names (ˌ)mer

: an official elected or appointed to act as chief executive or nominal head of a city, town, or borough

mayoral

ˈmā-ə-rəl 

ˈmer-əl;

  ˌmā-ˈȯr-əl 

adjective

Examples of mayor in a Sentence

the mayor of New York

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet signs of progress emerged in January, when Orrick lauded Lee and her decision to install the city’s former inspector general, Michelle Phillips, as an official in the department’s top ranks who reports directly to the mayor. —Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 28 May 2026

Public money Martha Guerrero, mayor of West Sacramento, said the public funding for an MLB team would primarily come from tax increment financing, which relies on property taxes, with smaller amounts coming from hotel fees and other sources. —Evan Drellich, New York Times, 28 May 2026

According to prosecutors, the ex-leader is responsible for dozens of murders, allegedly overseeing deadly anti-drug crackdowns, first as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later as president. —ABC News, 27 May 2026

This is also the lane that the mayor could sprint to. —Will Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English maire, from Anglo-French, from Latin major greater — more at major

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mayor

• gayer
• grayer
• greyer
• layer
• nayar
• payer
• payor
• peyer
• player
• preyer
• sayer
• slayer

Kids Definition

mayor

noun

may·​or ˈmā-ər  ˈme(-)ər 

: an official elected to act as head of a city or borough

mayoral

ˈmā-ə-rəl  ˈme- ə- 

adjective

Legal Definition

mayor

noun

may·​or ˈmā-ər, ˈmer 

: an official elected or appointed to act as chief executive or nominal head of a city, town, or borough