lord

noun

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\ ˈlȯrd

Definition of lord

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 real entry 1 sense 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 sense 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 sense 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 titleLord AdvocateLord 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

lord

verb

lorded; lording; lords

Definition of lord (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to act like a lord especially : to put on airs —usually used with it lords it over his friends

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about lord

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Examples of lord in a Sentence

Noun 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

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Sir DeVonta Smith, Alabama’s lord of the catch and keeper of the records, had how many receptions? — Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, "Heroic tackle by Alabama receiver bigger than any touchdown in SEC championship game," 20 Dec. 2020 Drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero was convicted of taking part in the murder of Mr. Camarena and sentenced to 40 years in prison. — Santiago Pérez, WSJ, "Mexico Passes Law Curbing Operations of Foreign Security Agents," 15 Dec. 2020 That was the conclusion that Winston Churchill, the first lord of the admiralty, came to in 1911. — Daniel Yergin, The Atlantic, "The Ghosts Who Haunt the South China Sea," 15 Dec. 2020 Colin Moynihan, a Conservative Party lord, had his own pitch, pressing that priority be given to the athletes and their entourages seeking to represent Britain in the the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. — Washington Post, "Coronavirus vaccines are coming. Who should get them first?," 20 Nov. 2020 One of them, Manteo, traveled twice to England and was made a lord by Queen Elizabeth I. — Andrew Lawler, National Geographic, "Newfound survivor camp may explain fate of the famed Lost Colony of Roanoke," 5 Nov. 2020 Enola puts her detective genes to good use and embarks on a mission to find her — but a young lord, her older brothers, and a murder plot get in the way. — Lydia Wang, refinery29.com, "Enola Holmes’ Ending Seems To Promise A Sequel & Millie Bobby Brown Is Already Down," 23 Sep. 2020 Designed by a British lord as the headquarters for a Texas oil company, the Magnolia Building became symbolic of Dallas' booming early 20th-century economy. — Steve Brown, Dallas News, "Downtown Dallas’ landmark Magnolia Building is for sale," 15 Sep. 2020 And, good lord, things like Revenge of the Nerds wouldn't be greenlit in 100 years if pitched this century. — Nathan Mattise, Ars Technica, "New Bill & Ted: Two ‘80s dudes have no business working this well in 2020," 29 Aug. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb The Spartans can lord it over the Wolverines in football until at least Oct. 16, 2021. — Ryan Ford, Detroit Free Press, "Big Ten football misery index: A new type of contagion hits Michigan football," 1 Nov. 2020 The novel is the story of a great inversion, one in which the ruled replace their rulers but end up lording it over each other in just the same way as the old regime. — Gerard Baker, WSJ, "For Liberal Elites at Davos, Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others," 24 Jan. 2020 Yet right here, politicians act as if a health crisis gives them license to lord over the most private activities of America people in ways that are wholly inconsistent with the spirit and letter of the Constitution. — David Harsanyi, National Review, "Coronavirus Authoritarianism Is Getting Out of Hand," 13 Apr. 2020 Good ideas put forward by the original gang of six members are dismissed as Euro-aristocrats lording it over newer arrivals. — The Economist, "Charlemagne Why stereotypes rule in Brussels," 11 Jan. 2020 The primary setting is a classroom in London, at Crunchem Hall Primary School, which is lorded over by an evil headmistress, Miss Agatha Trunchbull. — Don Maines, Houston Chronicle, "Friendswood High thespians to aim high with ‘Matilda’," 2 Dec. 2019 Try not to lord it over your family and friends too much. — Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "How well do you know the Milwaukee suburbs? Test your knowledge with these 31 questions.," 14 Oct. 2019 Commenters went berserk for and against my recipe, with many lording the reverse sear as the preferred method over my apparent sheer lunacy. — Becky Krystal, Washington Post, "Don’t want to mess up that big piece of meat you just bought? Enter the reverse sear.," 9 Sep. 2019 Research is like buying ingredients, how the recipe comes together is up to lord Shiva. — Manavi Kapur, Quartz India, "Amish Tripathi wants to write a hundred books, one cream biscuit at a time," 26 Aug. 2019

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.