dome

noun \ ˈdōm \

Updated on: 11 Apr 2018

Definition of dome

1 archaic : a stately building : mansion

2 : a large hemispherical roof or ceiling

3 : a natural formation or structure that resembles the dome or cupola of a building

4 : a form of crystal composed of planes parallel to a lateral axis that meet above in a horizontal edge like a roof

5 : an upward fold in rock whose sides dip uniformly in all directions

6 : a roofed sports stadium

7 : a person's head

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domal

play \ˈdō-məl\ adjective

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Examples of dome in a Sentence

the dome of the Capitol building
The team's new stadium is a dome.

Recent Examples of dome from the Web

Slotin began slowly lowering the dome, using the screwdriver gingerly to control the opening.

— julian g. west, The Atlantic, "The Atomic-Bomb Core That Escaped World War II," 2 Apr. 2018
Someone will walk into the dome as a relatively unknown college kid, and emerge from it as a Final Four legend.

— mike finger, San Antonio Express-News, "For Michigan and Villanova, a defining moment awaits.," 1 Apr. 2018
Manley told reporters at the automaker’s Auburn Hills, Michigan, design dome, where the company was showing off concept vehicles to take to the annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah.

— jamie butters, Bloomberg.com, "Jeep Sales Grow With a Long Way to Go in ‘Incredibly Busy’ 2018," 20 Mar. 2018
The 3-mile roundtrip hike to Teutonia Peak, a rocky outcropping atop the dome, is one of the preserve’s best.

— San Francisco Chronicle, "One Day, One Place: L.A. to Vegas along the scenic route," 19 Mar. 2018
The clockwise flow around this heat dome is circulating abnormally warm air up the entire Eastern Seaboard.

— jason samenow, Washington Post, "Washington surges to 82 degrees, its warmest temperature ever recorded so early in the year," 21 Feb. 2018
The metal scaffolds that workers used to apply mud paste to the minarets are too heavy and rigid to assemble around the dome, so a type of bamboo scaffolding, which was used for conservation work in the 1940s, is being considered instead.

— kai schultz, New York Times, "To Rid the Taj Mahal of Its Grime, India Prescribes a Mud Bath," 22 Jan. 2018
Steyer said during a news conference within view of the Capitol dome.

— fredreka schouten, USA TODAY, "Democratic mega-donor Tom Steyer says he'll spend $30 million to flip Congress," 8 Jan. 2018
The dome-like LNG tankers heading out from Louisiana and Texas are creating a market that can flexibly and cheaply deliver gas where it is needed.

— The Economist, "The shale boom could prove a two-edged sword for America," 15 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dome.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dome

French, Italian, & Latin; French dôme dome, cathedral, from Italian duomo cathedral, from Medieval Latin domus church, from Latin, house; akin to Greek domos house, Sanskrit dam

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1513

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year