govern/ˋgʌvɚn; ˈɡʌvən/v 1 [I,T] to legally control a country and make all the decisions about its laws, public services etc 统治﹐治理〔国家〕: when the Belgians governed the Congo 在比利时人统治刚果金的时候2 [T] if rules or principles govern a system or situation, they control how the system works or what happens〔规则或原则〕规定﹐管制﹐制约: the laws that govern the universe 支配宇宙的规律