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

The mayor’s signature initiative to tackle homelessness went to Bundy Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard in Councilmember Traci Park’s district. —Dakota Smith, Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2025

On Sunday and Monday, for example, the county buildings in downtown Miami will light up green in honor of Eid, according to a spokesperson from the Miami-Dade County mayor’s office. —Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 28 Mar. 2025

Mendoza has been an ardent critic of the Johnson administration on social media and is considering a run for Chicago mayor. —Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2025

Another case is the ongoing, high-profile trial of Alice Guo, a former mayor accused of spying for China and maintaining ties to online scam syndicates linked to human trafficking and other criminal activities. —Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025

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