fiefdom

noun

fief·​dom ˈfēf-dəm 

plural fiefdoms

: an area over which someone exercises control as or in the manner of a feudal lord

The Seigneur could not sell his fiefdom without approval from the Queen.

—Timothy Foote

… he encouraged the notion that the company was an extension of himself, and certainly it had been argued over the years that in his spending habits he treated it as his personal fiefdom.

—Connie Bruck

These men began to run Brazil as their personal fiefdom.

—Sue Branford

… corruption and nepotism are as rife as ever, with regional party leaders running their local fiefdoms like mafia godfathers.

—Michael A. Hall

Synonyms of fiefdom

• area
• realm
• domain
• department
• element
• kingdom
• walk
• field
• sphere
• territory

Examples of fiefdom in a Sentence

you'll have to ask that guy—the project is his fiefdom

Recent Examples on the Web

There were too many divisions, too many fiefdoms. —CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026

Los Angeles is the nation’s second biggest city, but art museums in Washington, DC; Chicago; Boston; Houston; and San Francisco all regularly rack up more visitors than his fiefdom on Wilshire. —Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 6 Mar. 2026

Elsewhere, though, the rules that govern this furry fiefdom defy easy comprehension. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026

The position became seen by some as a fiefdom within the Port, ripe for potential corruption. —Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fiefdom

• chiefdom