dominate

verb

dom·​i·​nate ˈdä-mə-ˌnāt 

dominated; dominating

transitive verb

1

: rule, control

an empire that dominated the world

2

: to exert the supreme determining or guiding influence on

ambition 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

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

ˈdä-mə-ˌnā-tiv 

adjective

dominator

ˈdä-mə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

Synonyms of dominate

• subdue
• conquer
• subject
• defeat
• overcome

Examples of dominate in a Sentence

One company has dominated the market for years.

This work dominated the art scene last year.

Our team dominated play throughout the game.

Recent Examples on the Web

Although the halftime score wasn’t lopsided, UCLA dominated through two quarters. — Elias Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026

Tweets about Cunningham, thinkpieces, and rebuttals have all swirled into an endless mass of controversy — one dominated by derogatory rhetoric, threats, and anti-trans memes. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2026

According to the candidate, a new constitution would be drafted by a Congress dominated by a far-right majority. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 10 Oct. 2026

Sharp shift from chaos The researchers adjusted how frequently each process occurred to determine which behavior dominated. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin dominatus, past participle of dominari, from dominus master; akin to Latin domus house — more at dome entry 1

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Rhymes for dominate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

dominate

verb

dom·​i·​nate ˈdäm-ə-ˌnāt 

dominated; dominating

1

: to have a commanding position or controlling power over

2

: to seem to command by rising high above

a volcano dominates the island

domination

ˌdäm-ə-ˈnā-shən

noun

dominative

ˈdäm-ə-ˌnāt-iv 

adjective

dominator

-ˌnāt-ər 

noun

Etymology

derived from Latin dominari "to rule, govern, control," from dominus "master, owner" — related to condominium, dame, domain, dominion, don entry 2