dominate

verb dom·i·nate \ ˈdä-mə-ˌnāt \

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

—

dominative

play \-ˌnā-tiv\ adjective

—

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

New York has dominated FC Cincinnati in three previous meetings, including a 4-0 win in their only meeting this year. •

— patrick brennan, Cincinnati.com, "FC Cincinnati's road to the USL playoffs," 28 Aug. 2017
The Cougars (1-0) dominated from the start with an impressive run game led by playmakers Jeremiah Martinez and Jahzeri Gill.

— oscar terrones, San Diego U-T Preps, "San Ysidro ground game overwhelms young Coronado," 26 Aug. 2017
Its location puts it at the mercy of several foreign powers, all of whom would benefit from seeing Afghanistan stabilize but also stand to lose out if another country dominates.

— max fisher and amanda taub, New York Times, "Why Afghanistan’s War Defies Solutions," 24 Aug. 2017
Alabama has dominated recruiting during Nick Saban's tenure at the program.

— rainer sabin, AL.com, "Nick Saban says Alabama could use multiple kickers," 24 Aug. 2017
That day, in a small courtroom near Buffalo, the United States government will have another opportunity to decide if the Taliban dominate Afghanistan, and America is losing its longest war.

— brian castner, Esquire, "The Fight of His Life," 16 Aug. 2017
Normally party nominees are chosen by conventions, which, on the GOP side at least, are often dominated by ideological purists (this is how Mike Lee displaced Bob Bennett as a U.S. Senator in 2010).

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "In Utah Today, Voters Are Picking Jason Chaffetz’s Successor," 15 Aug. 2017
All season long, the Australian reliever had dominated right-handed hitters with confounding submarining stuff.

— rustin dodd, kansascity, "After kitten frolics, the Royals fall to the Cardinals 8-5 at Busch Stadium," 9 Aug. 2017
With companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin dominating spaceflight headlines, Virgin Galactic has been working toward similar goals with a different approach.

— david grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Virgin Galactic Conducts Sixth Successful SpaceShipTwo Glide Test," 7 Aug. 2017

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

Related Words

annihilate, beat, clobber, crush, defeat, drub, lick, mow (down), overcome, prevail (over), reduce, rout, skunk, smash, thrash, triumph (over), trounce, wallop, whip; enslave; break, clamp down (on), crack down (on), put down, quash, quell, repress, silence, smother, snuff (out), squash, squelch, suppress

Near Antonyms

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

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.