dominate

verb dom·i·nate \ ˈdä-mə-ˌnāt \

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of dominate

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

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dominative

play \-ˌnā-tiv\ adjective

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dominator

play \-ˌnā-tər\ noun

See dominate defined for English-language learners

See dominate defined for kids

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 of dominate from the Web

At first blush, real estate technology doesn’t seem to fit Son’s stated thesis of a future dominated by artificial intelligence, robots, and big data.

— erin griffith, WIRED, "SoftBank's Futuristic Vision Fund Takes on the Real (Estate) World," 16 Apr. 2018
Barbuda became a ghost town, dominated by the $250 million in damage that Irma’s 185-mile per hour winds left behind.

— chabeli herrera, miamiherald, "Two monster hurricanes battered these Caribbean islands. Now, they’re back in business | Miami Herald," 16 Apr. 2018
In a league dominated by three-pointers, Celtics opponents shot a league-low 33.9% from long range this season.

— matt velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "A breakdown of the matchups between the Bucks and Celtics in a first-round NBA playoff series," 14 Apr. 2018
The Man have made a habit of representing rock in spaces dominated by pop and hip-hop.

— kavita daswani, latimes.com, "Heading to Coachella? Forget about the flower crowns. Try these fashion picks on for size," 13 Apr. 2018
Women were and are often seen and treated as second-class citizens in a country dominated by men.

— farai gundan, CNN, "Opinion: Why Winnie Mandela must be celebrated as an African feminist icon," 12 Apr. 2018
In a meeting dominated by issues related to the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas in Parkland, the School Board declined to participate in the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program.

— scott travis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Broward rejects arming of school employees," 11 Apr. 2018
Hundreds of miles to the southeast, the district of Achin, in Nangarhar, heavily dominated by the Islamic State in Khorasan a year ago, is now largely under government control, according to officials and village elders there.

— rod nordland, BostonGlobe.com, "US strike kills senior Islamic State commander in Afghanistan," 10 Apr. 2018
Liverpool looked stunned and never really seemed to get going in a first half completely dominated by Manchester City.

— SI.com, "Manchester City 1-2 Liverpool (Agg 1-5): Reds March Into UCL Last 4 Despite Early Etihad Scare," 10 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of dominate

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1611

See Words from the same year

dominate Synonyms

Synonyms

conquer, overpower, pacify, subdue, subject, subjugate, subordinate, vanquish;

Near Antonyms

discharge, emancipate, enfranchise, free, liberate, manumit, release, spring, unbind, uncage, unchain, unfetter;

enslave;

break, clamp down (on), crack down (on), put down, quash, quell, repress, silence, smother, snuff (out), squash, squelch, suppress;

DOMINATE Defined for English Language Learners

dominate

verb

Definition of dominate for English Language Learners

: to have control of or power over (someone or something)
: to be the most important part of (something)
: to be much more powerful or successful than others in a game, competition, etc.

DOMINATE Defined for Kids

dominate

verb dom·i·nate \ ˈdä-mə-ˌnāt \

Definition of dominate for Students

dominated; dominating

: to have a commanding position or controlling power over

The mountain dominates the landscape.

Word Root of dominate

The Latin word dominus, meaning “master,” gives us the root domin. Words from the Latin dominus have something to do with being another's master. To dominate is to have power and control over as if being someone's master. A domain, or land under the control of a government, is a land with a particular master or ruler. Dominion is controlling power, similar to the power of a master over others.