dominance

noun

dom·​i·​nance ˈdä-mə-nən(t)s 

ˈdäm-nən(t)s

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

Synonyms

• ascendance
• ascendence
• ascendancy
• ascendency
• domination
• dominion
• hegemony
• imperium
• predominance
• predominancy
• preeminence
• reign
• sovereignty
• sovranty
• supremacy

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

Dominating Grocery Walmart’s dominance is most pronounced in grocery. —Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025

This launched an era of dominance with a string of classic main events. —Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025

No dominant power has ever had so much assistance from others in maintaining its dominance. —Kori Schake, Foreign Affairs, 24 June 2025

To maintain American dominance on a global stage, the U.S. must build 450 gigawatts of generation over the next five years—to put that in perspective, that’s the equivalent of adding enough generation to power 75 Miami metro areas or 11 Floridas. —John Ketchum, Fortune, 24 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

see dominant entry 1

First Known Use

1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dominance

• apical dominance
• law of dominance

Rhymes for dominance

• prominence
• predominance

Kids Definition

dominance

noun

dom·​i·​nance ˈdäm-(ə-)nən(t)s 

: the fact or state of being dominant: as

a

: the dominant position of an individual in a series of social ranks or levels

b

: the property of one of a pair of alternate forms of a gene or character that prevents or masks expression of the other when both are present in the heterozygous condition

c

: the control or influence over the environment of an ecological community that a dominant has

d

: greater activity and usage of one of a pair of body parts (as the right hand compared to the left hand)

Medical Definition

dominance

noun

dom·​i·​nance ˈdäm(-ə)-nən(t)s 

: the fact or state of being dominant: as

a

: the relative position of an individual in a social hierarchy compare pecking order

b

: the property of one of a pair of alleles or traits that suppresses expression of the other in the heterozygous condition

c

: functional asymmetry between a pair of bodily structures (as the right and left hands)