1
as in government
lawful control over the affairs of a political unit (as a nation)
after World War II, the four Allied nations shared the governance of the territory of postwar Germany under the Allied Control Council
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in management
the act or activity of looking after and making decisions about something
while a financial advisor can be helpful, the governance of your family finances ultimately rests with you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of governance
Launching a military operation and then assuming responsibility for governance shifts Washington toward a closed, coercive model of power – one that relies on force to establish authority and is prohibitively costly to sustain over time.
—
Monica Duffy Toft, The Conversation, 5 Jan. 2026
There’s a very strong correlation with the rise of autocracy and human-rights abuses and bad governance and the increase in anti-American discourse.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2026
Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis with GasBuddy, a gasoline price app, said the uncertainty over Venezuela’s governance is likely to worry oil companies.
—Dallas Morning News, 5 Jan. 2026
In our interview, Milliken defended how UC has responded to the Trump administration, saying the university has held its ground on its governance, mission and academic freedom.
—Peter Elkind, ProPublica, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for governance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for governance
Noun
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The federal government pays 90% of the costs of Idaho’s Medicaid expansion, which as of early 2025 provided access to care for about 90,000 lower-income Idaho residents who earn too much to qualify for standard Medicaid but not enough for private insurance discounts.—
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But that’s often in spite of, not because of, government design.—
Noun
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First selected as a 20-year-old for the white-ball series against Australia in 2024, his introduction into the England environment was love at first sight for all the management involved.—
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Austin chef David Bull opened the restaurant at the Crazy Water Hotel in Mineral Wells before that hotel changed management.—
Noun
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The administration has quietly directed diplomats to press allies on restricting inflows, enhancing deportation mechanisms, and ending policies perceived as favoring migrants over citizens.—
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About 58% of the East Arlington campus is in need of repair or replacement to uphold Arlington ISD’s values and expectations, according to an administration report.—
Noun
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As the Palisades Fire burned out of control under hurricane-force winds, some residents chose to stay and fight, like Cort Wagner.—
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Later attention turned to flood control after a hurricane in the 1920s caused Lake Okeechobee to overflow, killing thousands.—
Noun
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While Glaser tones it down on stage, the same rules don’t apply for the red carpet.—
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The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which determined each year's nominees until they were deposed as the deciding committee in 2022 in the wake of a scandal, revised its rules around animation in 2014.—
Noun
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Farmers were up to the task, because the value of their land was skyrocketing, and many bankers encouraged them to take on large amounts of debt to increase the size of their operations (a move that would come back to haunt them during the farm crisis of the 1980s).—
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President Daniel Noboa launched an armed campaign against gangs and declared states of emergency in several provinces, including Manabi, deploying the military to support police operations.—
Noun
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In response, the regime in Iran has cut all lines of communication.—
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Hamilton, wary of France’s descent into chaos and its aggressive wars, contended that treaties are contracts with specific regimes, not eternal bonds irrespective of change.—
Noun
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Baltimore’s consent decree similarly identified major deficiencies in training, including outdated curricula, inconsistent instruction, and inadequate field supervision.—
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Factors like population density, consistent consumer demand, access to kosher supervision, supply chains, and real estate all play a role.—
Cite this Entry
“Governance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/governance. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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