overlord

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noun over·lord \ ˈō-vər-ˌlȯrd \

Definition of overlord

1 :a lord over other lords :a lord paramount

2 a :an absolute or supreme ruler

b :one having great power or authority

a corporate overlord

—

overlordship

play \ˈō-vər-ˌlȯrd-ˌship, ˌō-vər-ˈlȯrd-\ noun

See overlord defined for English-language learners

See overlord defined for kids

Examples of overlord in a Sentence

He is the overlord of the underground gambling industry.

Recent Examples of overlord from the Web

As long as his corporate overlords and paying advertisers are happy, the man is free to do skits alongside Justin Timberlake and play silly games with guests and generally carry on living his life.

— jay willis, GQ, "Jimmy Fallon Still Doesn't Understand How to Talk About Donald Trump," 15 Aug. 2017
This time around, Tom Holland and co. are backed up with the full powers of Marvel, our current superhero box office overlords.

— yohana desta, HWD, "Spider-Man: Homecoming’s Massive Weekend Could Save Summer Movie Season," 6 July 2017
Artist Randall Oldrieve created the colorful mural of a pipe-smoking overlord adorned with hop cones.

— marc bona, cleveland.com, "Saucy Brew Works sneak peek: 9 things to know about Cleveland's newest brewery (photos, video)," 3 July 2017
The concept is remarkably simple: an evil overlord forces a human (first Joel Hodgson, then Michael J. Nelson) and two robots to make fun of really bad movies.

— channing king, Indianapolis Star, "Twitch to run a 6-day MST3K marathon starting this Monday," 24 June 2017
But Bay has turned the Quintessons into a singular being, Quintessa (Gemma Chan), who is just some evil, generic, one-dimensional overlord who wants her magic staff back.

— cary darling, idahostatesman, "It’s official: Latest ‘Transformers’ is the worst yet," 22 June 2017
But Bay has turned the Quintessons into a singular being, Quintessa (Gemma Chan), who is just some evil, generic, one-dimensional overlord who wants her magic staff back.

— cary darling, idahostatesman, "It’s official: Latest ‘Transformers’ is the worst yet," 22 June 2017
But Bay has turned the Quintessons into a singular being, Quintessa (Gemma Chan), who is just some evil, generic, one-dimensional overlord who wants her magic staff back.

— cary darling, idahostatesman, "It’s official: Latest ‘Transformers’ is the worst yet," 22 June 2017
But Bay has turned the Quintessons into a singular being, Quintessa (Gemma Chan), who is just some evil, generic, one-dimensional overlord who wants her magic staff back.

— cary darling, kansascity.com, "Movie review: Latest ‘Transformers’ is even bad for a ‘Transformers’ movie," 21 June 2017

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

First Known Use of overlord

13th century

OVERLORD Defined for English Language Learners

overlord

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noun

Definition of overlord for English Language Learners

: a person who has power over a large number of people

Learn More about overlord

Britannica English: Translation of overlord for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about overlord

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overlord

Definition of overlord

overlordship

Examples of overlord in a Sentence

Recent Examples of overlord from the Web

First Known Use of overlord

OVERLORD Defined for English Language Learners

overlord

Definition of overlord for English Language Learners

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overlordship

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