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Verb: govern  gú-vu(r)n
  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