dominance

dom·i·nance | \ ˈdä-mə-nən(t)s

, ˈdäm-nən(t)s\

Definition of dominance

1 : the fact or state of being dominant: such as

a sociology : controlling, prevailing, or powerful position especially in a social hierarchy (see hierarchy sense 4) male dominance political dominance companies competing for dominance in the market dominance over their rivals

b genetics : the property of one of a pair of alleles or traits that suppresses expression (see expression sense 1b(4)) of the other in the heterozygous condition

c ecology : the influence or control over ecological communities exerted by a dominant (see dominant entry 2 sense 2b)

2 biology : functional (see functional sense 1b) asymmetry between a pair of bodily structures (such as the right and left hands) right brain dominance

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Examples of dominance in a Sentence

although Napoléon had achieved dominance over the European continent, Great Britain still ruled the waves the professor's dominance in the field of ancient Greek history

Recent Examples on the Web Our species’ dominance is due in part to our empathy, which helps us to cooperate flexibly in large groups. — The Economist, "Does your brain care about other people? It depends," 4 Nov. 2019 Feeding that dominance is a bigger pipeline of marketing graduates coming out of more prestigious business universities like the University of Chicago and Northwestern. — Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, "Why did Molson Coors — a beer company that is one of Colorado’s most iconic brands — move its headquarters to Chicago?," 3 Nov. 2019 Katie Hill — young, female, bisexual, liberal, polyamorous, powerful — made abusive men fear that their dominance was coming to an end. — Mary Anne Franks, Twin Cities, "Mary Anne Franks: The photos of Rep. Hill had nothing to do with her conduct," 31 Oct. 2019 His joyful dominance is the biggest reason many in the organization are bullish about Golden State’s chances of contending for another title this season. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Stephen Curry’s 40-point night powers Warriors to preseason win over Minnesota," 10 Oct. 2019 But the fact is the dominance of single-family zoning is a primary reason why California has failed to build enough housing. — Los Angeles Times, "How lawmakers are upending the California lifestyle to fight a housing shortage," 10 Oct. 2019 Saturday’s early dominance was, somewhat predictably, unsustainable. — Nathan Baird, cleveland.com, "Ohio State must build on defensive start from 45-21 victory over Florida Atlantic," 31 Aug. 2019 Here are five area players to watch this week: Geoffrey Brown, Fishers: The Tigers’ defensive dominance in a 26-0 win over North Central was one of the top stories of Week 1. — Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star, "Indiana high school football: Five area players to watch in Week 2," 28 Aug. 2019 Among the examples being cited of Facebook’s alleged unfair market dominance are the company’s $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, in 2012, and its 2014 purchase of messaging app company WhatsApp, for $19 billion. — Rex Crum, The Mercury News, "Facebook co-founder said to be working with FTC on case against company," 26 July 2019

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