Gov.
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Governor |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Government & Politics, Technology & Computing |
| Also written | .gov |
Gov. has two meanings. It stands for Governor (political) or Government (top-level domain) (Internet & web).
Meanings of Gov. at a glance
| # | Gov. stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Governor | Government & Politics › Political |
| 2 | Government (top-level domain) | Technology & Computing › Internet & Web |
1. Governor
Government & Politics · Political Abbreviations · also used in general use
Title of the elected chief executive of a US state or territory, abbreviated before a name in news copy, as in "Gov. Smith". Governors sign or veto state laws, command the state National Guard and propose state budgets.
Example: Gov. Ramirez declared a state of emergency ahead of the hurricane.
Most governors serve four-year terms; New Hampshire and Vermont elect theirs every two years. Many states limit governors to two consecutive terms. AP style abbreviates the title before a full name and spells it out otherwise. Lowercase "gov" also appears in web addresses, as in the .gov domain reserved for government bodies.
2. Government (top-level domain) (.gov)
Technology & Computing · Internet & Web Abbreviations
A sponsored top-level domain reserved for US government organizations, including federal agencies, states, cities, counties and tribal governments. Registration is verified, so a .gov address signals an official US government site.
Example: Only file your taxes through the IRS .gov site or an authorized e-file provider.
Created in 1985 with the first TLDs and administered since 2021 by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which took over from the General Services Administration. Other countries use second-level domains such as .gov.uk or .gov.au. Phishing sites often imitate government pages with look-alike domains that do not end in .gov.
Related abbreviations
More political abbreviations
- FY – Fiscal year
- GND – Green New Deal
- GOP – Grand Old Party (Republican Party)
- GOTV – Get out the vote
- H.Con.Res. – House Concurrent Resolution
- H.J.Res. – House Joint Resolution
- H.R. – House of Representatives (bill prefix)
- H.Res. – House Resolution
See all 91 political abbreviations →