dominate

verb

dom·​i·​nate ˈdä-mə-ˌnāt How to pronounce dominate (audio)
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 adjective
dominator noun

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 on the Web Even Alexandria, which was one of the seedbeds of Western thought and philosophy in the centuries before and after Christ, is now dominated by Islam, which Goodwin does not see as part of the West. Emma Green, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Melanie Stetson Freeman/Staff The region’s power grid operator, ISO New England, says new resource proposals are dominated by wind power. Troy Aidan Sambajon, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Mar. 2024 The main living space is dominated by two outsize pieces, both by artists with connections to Freeman’s gallery. Travis Diehl Dean Kaufman, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Oppenheimer racked up 13 Academy Award nominations and dominated the 2024 Golden Globes, taking home the top award for best drama. TIME, 11 Mar. 2024 So far, the film has dominated the 2024 awards season, winning several awards at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards and SAG Awards. Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 To date, those forums have been dominated by U.S. and European officials and firms. Aziz Huq, Foreign Affairs, 11 Mar. 2024 Strong shapes definitely dominated the evening, rejecting the idea that a winning style moment has to be streamlined or timeless. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 The Awards show season has been dominated by demonstrations by both activists and nominees. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dominate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dominate was in 1611

Dictionary Entries Near dominate

Cite this Entry

“Dominate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dominate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dominate

verb
dom·​i·​nate ˈdäm-ə-ˌnāt How to pronounce dominate (audio)
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 adjective
dominator noun
Etymology

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

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