dominate

verb

dom·​i·​nate ˈdä-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce dominate (audio)
dominated; dominating

transitive verb

1
: rule, control
an empire that dominated the world
2
: to exert the supreme determining or guiding influence on
the ambition that has dominated his life
3
: to overlook from a superior elevation or command because of superior height or position
a hill that dominates the town
4
a
: to be predominant in
sugar maples dominate the forest
b
: to have a commanding or preeminent place or position in
name brands dominate the market

intransitive verb

1
: to have or exert mastery, control, or preeminence
his desire to dominate
a dominating factor in industrial growth
2
: to occupy a more elevated or superior position
dominative adjective
dominator noun

Examples of dominate in a Sentence

One company has dominated the market for years. He dominated her life for many years. His work dominated the art scene last year. Our team dominated throughout the game. Our team dominated play throughout the game.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Now, Huang is dominating the romance genre herself, even solidifying a place on the Top 5 bestselling BookTok authors with over 1.47 million copies sold in 2024, according to Forbes. Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 2 May 2025 The Blues dominated Game 4 in a 5-1 home victory Sunday with five different players finding the net: Jake Neighbours, Tyler Tucker, Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk, and Robert Thomas. Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025 Until then, Sitaraman writes in his 2023 book Why Flying Is Miserable: And How to Fix It, the industry was dominated by a handful of major carriers, and basic services—not just safety—were heavily regulated. Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 1 May 2025 Many of Hawaii’s immigrants in the 19th and 20th centuries were workers for the sugar cane and pineapple plantations that once dominated the Hawaiian economy. Ben Davidson, Mercury News, 1 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for dominate

Word History

Etymology

Latin dominatus, past participle of dominari, from dominus master; akin to Latin domus house — more at dome

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dominate was in 1611

Cite this Entry

“Dominate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dominate. Accessed 4 May. 2025.

Kids Definition

dominate

verb
dom·​i·​nate ˈdäm-ə-ˌnāt How to pronounce dominate (audio)
dominated; dominating
1
: to have a commanding position or controlling power over
2
: to seem to command by rising high above
a volcano dominates the island
domination
ˌdäm-ə-ˈnā-shən
noun
dominative adjective
dominator noun
Etymology

derived from Latin dominari "to rule, govern, control," from dominus "master, owner" — related to condominium, dame, domain, dominion, don entry 2

More from Merriam-Webster on dominate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!