governgov·ern /ˈgʌvən-ərn/ verb1[intransitiveI, transitiveT] to officially and legally run a country and make decisions about taxes, laws, public services etcthe politicians who govern the country
A small military elite has been governing for just seven months.
2[transitiveT] if rules, principles etc govern the way a system or organization works, they control how things are doneLaw Society members are highly qualified and governed by a strict code of ethics.
The current system governing credit card transactions in the UK goes against basic trading practices.