governess
noun
gov·ern·ess
ˈgə-vər-nəs 
1
: a woman who governs
2
: a woman who cares for and supervises a child especially in a private household
Examples of governess in a Sentence
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Like Jane Eyre—a governess who fell for her affluent employer—Woodley’s character, a young single mother, is a broke outsider in an exclusive community.
—
Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Many clients come to us seeking education specialists because of our reputation for placing governesses.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
The Mitford girls were prohibited from attending school—they were meant to be sparkling society wives, and so were given lessons at home, supervised by a collection of insufferable governesses.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Among the middle and upper classes, music was generally seen as a female accomplishment, and teaching its rudiments to children was typically left to mothers, governesses, or schoolmistresses.
—JSTOR Daily, 26 Nov. 2025
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Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Many clients come to us seeking education specialists because of our reputation for placing governesses.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026
The Mitford girls were prohibited from attending school—they were meant to be sparkling society wives, and so were given lessons at home, supervised by a collection of insufferable governesses.
—Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025
Among the middle and upper classes, music was generally seen as a female accomplishment, and teaching its rudiments to children was typically left to mothers, governesses, or schoolmistresses.
—JSTOR Daily, 26 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for governess
Cite this Entry
“Governess.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/governess. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
governess
noun
gov·ern·ess
ˈgəv-ər-nəs
: a woman who teaches and trains a child in a private home
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