dynasty

dy·nas·ty | \ ˈdī-nə-stē

How to pronounce dynasty (audio)

also -ˌna-stē, especially British ˈdi-nə-stē \

plural dynasties

Definition of dynasty

1 : a succession of rulers of the same line of descent (see descent sense 1a) a dynasty that ruled China for nearly 300 years

2 : a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time born into a powerful political dynasty a baseball dynasty

Other Words from dynasty Sports Dynasties Dynasty Has Greek Roots More Example Sentences Learn More about dynasty

Keep scrolling for more

Sports Dynasties

Dynasty has been in use in English for over 600 years, for most of that time referring to a ruling family that maintains power through succession. Around the beginning of the 19th century, the word developed the figurative sense “a group or family that dominates a particular field for generations.” Nowadays, this sense of dynasty is often applied to a sports franchise which has a prolonged run of successful seasons. The sports use appears to have begun in the early 20th century. An article in The Washington Post in 1905 refers to “John T. Brush’s baseball dynasty,” and by 1912 the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that “if players were free agents at the end of every two years, baseball dynasties such as those built up by the Cubs, Athletics, Detroits and Giants would not be possible.”

Examples of dynasty in a Sentence

a dynasty that ruled China for nearly 300 years There was a civil war during the dynasty. She was born into a powerful political dynasty.

Recent Examples on the Web After Martin was traded in the aftermath of a 1957 brawl at the Copacabana night club, Ford and Mantle remained centerpieces in the Yankees dynasty and were elected together to the Hall of Fame in 1974. — sun-sentinel.com, "Whitey Ford, pitcher who epitomized mighty Yankees, dies at 91," 9 Oct. 2020 After Martin was traded in the aftermath of a 1957 brawl at the Copacabana night club, Ford and Mantle remained centerpieces in the Yankees dynasty and were elected together to the Hall of Fame in 1974. — The Salt Lake Tribune, "Whitey Ford, the pitcher who epitomized the mighty Yankees of the ‘50s, 60s, dies at 91," 9 Oct. 2020 Meanwhile, Clemson's active dynasty has secured a place in college football history. — Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, "Florida State's football program searches for an identity and a winning streak," 8 Oct. 2020 Billionaire philanthropist George Soros and the Rothschild dynasty are frequent targets. — Gianluca Mezzofiore, Katie Polglase And Tim Lister, CNN, "How a dangerous virtual cult is going global," 7 Oct. 2020 The next season, DeBerg was in Denver and Walsh and Montana were in the Super Bowl, launching an NFL dynasty. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "The wild story of the 49ers, Steve DeBerg and a shoulder-pad speaker system," 29 Sep. 2020 Sabah was part of a ruling dynasty dating back more than 250 years. — Washington Post, "Kuwait’s emir al-Sabah, influential voice in the Middle East, dies at 91," 29 Sep. 2020 Succession season 2 ended with Kendall Roy throwing a bombshell on his father's dynasty. — Neha Prakash, Marie Claire, "'Succession' Season 3: Everything We Know So Far," 21 Sep. 2020 Not so long ago, the Warriors built an NBA dynasty on the strength of three homegrown players who came to typify the essence of innovation, teamwork and winning. — Bruce Jenkins, SFChronicle.com, "Word to the Warriors: Don’t sacrifice Klay to get Giannis," 15 Sep. 2020

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

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about dynasty

Listen to Our Podcast about dynasty

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries near dynasty

Statistics for dynasty

Last Updated

13 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Dynasty.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynasty. Accessed 22 Oct. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for dynasty

dynasty

noun

English Language Learners Definition of dynasty

: a family of rulers who rule over a country for a long period of time also : the period of time when a particular dynasty is in power

: a family, team, etc., that is very powerful or successful for a long period of time

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

dynasty

dy·nas·ty | \ ˈdī-nə-stē

\

plural dynasties

Kids Definition of dynasty

: a series of rulers of the same family

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

adduce

Listen to the pronunciation of adduce

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Farm Idioms Quiz

What does 'poke' refer to in the expression 'pig in a poke'?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.