hegemon

noun heg·e·mon \ ˈhe-jə-ˌmän , ˈhē- \

Updated on: 21 Mar 2018

Definition of hegemon

: something (such as a political state) having dominant influence or authority over others : one possessing hegemony

These were the periods in which England and then America filled the role of hegemon …
—Robert Heilbroner

The American self-image of a mighty power that is also a benign hegemon, the global custodian of democratic values and human rights, is deeply rooted.
—Allister Sparks

Recent Examples of hegemon from the Web

For example, a political transformation of even a subtle kind inside Iran, the regional hegemon, will have a greater impact on the region than anything America has done or will do.

— chicagotribune.com, "Baathism caused the chaos in Iraq and Syria," 7 Mar. 2018
Being a global tech hegemon has been lucrative for America.

— The Economist, "SchumpeterHow does Chinese tech stack up against American tech?," 15 Feb. 2018
The sheer strength of America, which has been the world’s hegemon since 1945, has led allies to reflexively rely on the United States, creating a status quo bias where relations between nations remain frozen.

— jeet heer, New Republic, "Could This Madman Accidentally Bring Peace to the Korean Peninsula?," 9 Feb. 2018
Not only does the winner automatically become the official hegemon of the Middle East, but the loser has to throw a wicked dope party for the winner.

— alex siquig, GQ, "A Couple More of Jared Kushner’s Ideas for Fixing the Middle East," 12 Dec. 2017
Iran wants to be the regional hegemon and have all of the countries of the region bend to its wishes.

— kenneth m. pollack, National Review, "Facing the Iranian Challenge in the Middle East," 9 Oct. 2017
But if there is to be any hope of preventing Iran from becoming a regional hegemon, Trump will have to roll back the nuclear deal.

— jonathan s. tobin, National Review, "Why Trump Is Right and the Experts Are Still Wrong about the Iran Deal," 15 Sep. 2017
As Hans Kundnani put it, as a hegemon, the United States set the norms of the international order.

— yascha mounk, Slate Magazine, "America’s Abdication," 5 Jan. 2017
States whose interests clash with the United States may now have opportunities to win gains while the United States, the global hegemon, is distracted with its internal crises.

— henry farrell, The Denver Post, "What it means that Germany says it can’t rely on the United States," 2 June 2017

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