noun, slang ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A form of address to a man, usually a stranger or a superior. Ireland, London, UK, informal

   "Spare two quid, guv? I 'aven't eaten since yesterday."

2. 2
   Initialism of germicidal ultraviolet. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
3. 3
   A male prison officer. UK, informal

   "We cover up the window so the guvs can't see us."

Synonyms

All synonyms

bossbossfingergovguv'norjohn

Example

More examples

"Spare two quid, guv? I 'aven't eaten since yesterday."

Etymology

Alternative phonetic spelling of gov, short for governor.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.