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 criticism of the ordinance came a day after his close ally, Ald. —Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 20 Feb. 2025

Miramar, a Broward County city, led the opposition to the mayor’s prior pick of an idle county airfield in northern Miami-Dade. —Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2025

But the prosecutor who was overseeing the mayor’s case accused Mr. Adams of agreeing to a quid pro quo with Trump administration officials. —Benjamin Oreskes, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025

On an unseasonably warm evening last fall, more than two dozen New Yorkers gathered outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the city’s mayor. —Colleen Hamilton, Them, 19 Feb. 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

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