dominant

dom·i·nant | \ ˈdä-mə-nənt

How to pronounce dominant (audio)

, ˈdäm-nənt \

Definition of dominant

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : commanding, controlling, or prevailing over all others the dominant culture

b : very important, powerful, or successful a dominant theme a dominant industry the team's dominant performance

2 : overlooking and commanding from a superior position a dominant hill

3 : of, relating to, or exerting ecological or genetic dominance dominant genes dominant and recessive traits

4 biology : being the one of a pair of bodily structures that is the more effective or predominant in action dominant eye used her dominant hand

dominant

Definition of dominant (Entry 2 of 2)

1 music : the fifth tone of a major or minor scale (see scale entry 5 sense 1)

2a genetics : a character or factor that exerts genetic dominance (see dominance sense 1b)

b ecology : any of one or more kinds of organism (such as a species) in an ecological community that exerts a controlling influence on the environment and thereby largely determines what other kinds of organisms are present dominant conifers

c sociology : an individual having a controlling, prevailing, or powerful position in a social hierarchy : a dominant (see dominant entry 1 sense 1) individual in a social hierarchy

Other Words from dominant Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about dominant

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Choose the Right Synonym for dominant

Adjective

dominant, predominant, paramount, preponderant mean superior to all others in influence or importance. dominant applies to something that is uppermost because ruling or controlling. a dominant social class predominant applies to something that exerts, often temporarily, the most marked influence. a predominant emotion paramount implies supremacy in importance, rank, or jurisdiction. unemployment was the paramount issue in the campaign preponderant applies to an element or factor that outweighs all others in influence or effect. preponderant evidence in her favor

Examples of dominant in a Sentence

Adjective The company is now dominant in its market. It is the dominant culture in the region. the dominant female of the pack

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Eminem’s skill and darkly funny lyrics fit Dre’s sensibilities, and the two cemented hip-hop as the new chart-dominant pop music. — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, "Dr. Dre admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after signs of a possible brain aneurysm," 5 Jan. 2021 The South African variant, 501.V2, is more infectious than the original COVID-19 virus and has rapidly become dominant in the country's coastal areas. — Andrew Meldrum, BostonGlobe.com, "South Africa testing whether vaccines work against COVID-19 variant," 4 Jan. 2021 The Tacoma is to midsize pickups what the Ford F-Series is to full-size trucks: a dominant player that has remained the best-seller of its kind for the last 14 years. — Bloomberg Wire, Dallas News, "The Tacoma pickup is Toyota’s cash cow, and a truck enthusiast’s favorite," 2 Jan. 2021 Allen has been dominant down the stretch, leading the Bills to wins in their last five games. — Andy Nesbitt, USA TODAY, "If NFL voters have any guts, they'll name Josh Allen MVP," 1 Jan. 2021 Never before have five companies been so dominant on Wall Street. — chicagotribune.com, "Some businesses thrived, many lagged during pandemic in 2020," 31 Dec. 2020 Rome wasn’t built in a day, and a dominant offensive line isn’t built in one offseason. — Omar Kelly, sun-sentinel.com, "Kelly: Playoffs or not, this season has been a massive success for the Dolphins | Commentary," 31 Dec. 2020 Still, more than 4 in 10 voters named the pandemic as their dominant issue, more than were motivated primarily by the economy, Trump's strong point in public opinion. — Calvin Woodward And Michael Tackett, Star Tribune, "Americans pivot from red-hot Trump to Biden's seasoned cool," 7 Nov. 2020 Climate change was not a dominant issue in the race and Fitzpatrick was one of only three House Republicans defending seats in districts won by Hillary Clinton in 2016. — Josh Siegel, Washington Examiner, "Daily on Energy: Environmentalists claim mandate for Biden," 5 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Others, like Yul and Kim, were revered one-timers who hoped to show their first dominant runs were not a fluke. — Dalton Ross, EW.com, "Survivor: Winners at War finale recap: Dominance is rewarded," 14 May 2020 These dominants permit subordinates to share their accommodation, and those subordinates pay for the privilege by keeping the property in good repair and defending the dominants’ eggs and fry against predators. — The Economist, "Animal behaviour Fish, like people, must pay for their accommodation," 13 Feb. 2020 The elite pitchers of the last 20 seasons who required Tommy John surgery amid dominant runs came back to perform at solid to exceptional levels. — Alex Speier, BostonGlobe.com, "How elite pitchers have fared after having Tommy John surgery," 20 Mar. 2020 Many throughout the league assumed that, given Russell’s awkward fit alongside the ball-dominant Stephen Curry, Golden State had dealt for Russell largely for his value as a trade chip. — Connor Letourneau, SFChronicle.com, "Warriors’ D’Angelo Russell on trade speculation: ‘No telling where I’ll be’," 4 Feb. 2020 That appears to leave Mostert as the dominant back heading into the game against the Chiefs, who did well against Tennessee’s Derrick Henry on Sunday but were subpar against the run during the regular season. — Benjamin Hoffman, New York Times, "What We Learned in the N.F.L.’s Conference Championships," 19 Jan. 2020 This was once viewed as the dominant of the league's two divisions, with No. — Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, "Early surprises - both good and bad - after two full weeks of the college football season," 10 Sep. 2019 Khabib Nurmagomedov looks to continue his dominant, undefeated ways, while his opponent, Dustin Poirier, attempts to create a massive upset with a knockout victory. — Justin Barrasso, SI.com, "UFC 242 Live Blog: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Dustin Poirier Meet in Main Event," 7 Sep. 2019 Those who are vata dominant should minimize cold and raw foods and too much caffeine. — Cynthia Sass, Mph, Health.com, "What Is the Ayurvedic Diet—and Can It Help You Lose Weight?," 12 Aug. 2019

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

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Dictionary Entries near dominant

dominant seventh chord

dominant wavelength

Statistics for dominant

Last Updated

10 Jan 2021

Cite this Entry

“Dominant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dominant. Accessed 18 Jan. 2021.

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More Definitions for dominant

dominant

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of dominant

: more important, powerful, or successful than most or all others

: most common

biology : causing or relating to a characteristic or condition that a child will have if one of the child's parents has it

See the full definition for dominant in the English Language Learners Dictionary

dominant

dom·i·nant | \ ˈdä-mə-nənt

\

Kids Definition of dominant

1 : controlling or being more powerful or important than all others The team is dominant in its league.

2 : being or produced by a form of a gene that prevents or hides the effect of another form A dominant gene produces brown eye color.

dominant

dom·i·nant | \ -nənt

\

Medical Definition of dominant

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : exerting forcefulness or having dominance in a social hierarchy

2 : being the one of a pair of bodily structures that is the more effective or predominant in action the dominant eye

3 : of, relating to, or exerting genetic dominance

dominant

Medical Definition of dominant (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a dominant genetic character or factor

2 : a dominant individual in a social hierarchy

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