lord

noun \ ˈlȯrd \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Examples: lord in a Sentence

1 : one having power and authority over others:

a : a ruler by hereditary right or preeminence to whom service and obedience are due

b : one of whom a fee or estate is held in feudal tenure

c : an owner of land or other real (see ¹real 2) property

d obsolete : the male head of a household

e : husband

f : one that has achieved mastery or that exercises leadership or great power in some area

a drug lord

2 capitalized

a : god 1

b : jesus

3 : a man of rank or high position: such as

a : a feudal tenant whose right or title comes directly from the king

b : a British nobleman: such as

(1) : baron 2a

(2) : a hereditary peer of the rank of marquess, earl, or viscount

(3) : the son of a duke or a marquess or the eldest son of an earl

(4) : a bishop of the Church of England

c Lords plural : house of lords

4 —used as a British title: such as

a —used as part of an official title

Lord Advocate

Lord Mayor

b —used informally in place of the full title for a marquess, earl, or viscount

c —used for a baron

d —used by courtesy before the name and surname of a younger son of a duke or a marquess

5 : a person chosen to preside over a festival

See lord defined for English-language learners

See lord defined for kids

Examples of lord in a Sentence

He became a lord upon the death of his father.
as lords of the local real estate scene, they own nearly all of the city's prime pieces of property

Origin and Etymology of lord

Middle English loverd, lord, from Old English hlāford, from hlāf loaf + weard keeper — more at loaf, ward

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

lord Synonyms

lordship, sire [archaic];

lord

verb

lorded; lording; lords

intransitive verb

: to act like a lord; especially : to put on airs —usually used with it

lords it over his friends

See lord defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of lord from the Web

The celebration of Cameroon’s national day on May 20th was lorded over by President Paul Biya, who at 85 is Africa’s oldest head of state.

— The Economist, "Repression is worsening in Cameroon amid an uprising over language," 31 May 2018
Lima’s cathedral, with its pair of neo-Classical spires framing an epic door, appears here blown up to mural size; a smaller photo captures Mexico City’s more Baroque cathedral, lording over the massive Zócalo.

— jason farago, New York Times, "How Latin America Was Built, Before Modernism Came Along," 18 Apr. 2018
Large Position Auto Bottom Top Sample Caption Text 0:00 0:00 0:00 Back at the turn of the century, NBC still lorded over primetime with their Thursday night comedy block of Must See TV.

— drew magary, GQ, "TV Shows Are Too Long Now," 4 May 2018
Of course, the females are attracted to food, too, so lording over a good spot helps the males fill their bellies and find mates.

— jason bittel, National Geographic, "Watch a Sausage-Size Insect Transform From Larva to Beetle," 11 May 2018
In the meantime, white evangelicals need to get a more realistic sense of their own trajectory, and stop lording it over other people of faith who share their less-than-robust membership trends.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Americans With No Religion Greatly Outnumber White Evangelicals," 11 May 2018
Drone hosts lorded over several different corners of the space, and iconography from the series (including Arnold's maze) were studded throughout the party as well.

— josh wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, "Welcome to 'Westworld': Inside the HBO Drama's Season 2 Hollywood Premiere," 17 Apr. 2018
Frequent travelers along Highway 71 have likely noticed the giant 14-foot squirrel named Ms. Pearl lording over Berdoll Pecan Candy and Gift Company in Cedar Creek, beckoning people stop and visit the store.

— craig hlavaty, Houston Chronicle, "Yes, you can buy a whole pecan pie from a vending machine in Texas," 11 Apr. 2018
The titular character is a cafe owner on the Amalfi coast of Italy, a strong-minded wife who’s not above lording it over her timid husband, Beppe.

— john von rhein, chicagotribune.com, "How a double bill of Donizetti rarities wound up at Chicago Opera Theater," 10 Apr. 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of lord

see ¹lord

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

LORD Defined for Kids

lord

noun \ ˈlȯrd \

1 : a person having power and authority over others

2 capitalized : god 1

3 capitalized : jesus christ

4 : a British nobleman or bishop —used as a title

Lord Cornwallis

History for lord

Lord was first formed as a compound word, though its nature has been made unclear by centuries of sound change. The Old English ancestor of lord was hlāford, “head of the household”; this compound is made up of hlāf, “loaf, bread,” and weard, “keeper, guard.” Old English speakers seem to have thought of the most important male in the house as the “keeper of the bread.”