overlord

noun

over·​lord ˈō-vər-ˌlȯrd 

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

ˈō-vər-ˌlȯrd-ˌship 

ˌō-vər-ˈlȯrd-

noun

Examples of overlord in a Sentence

He is the overlord of the underground gambling industry.

Recent Examples on the Web

After a brief burst of good ratings results, CBS News is once against under a dark cloud of allegations of MAGA appeasement and corporate-overlord overreach. —Dominic Patten, Deadline, 27 May 2026

The corporate overlords may have put the break on the movies, but the streamer has been regularly pumping out TV shows in order to keep milking the franchise dry. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2026

And, like hamsters at a drip feeder, everyone lined up to suck down some of the dopamine being rationed out by their NFL overlords. —Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2026

Email the team’s corporate overlords. —Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 15 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for overlord

• checkerboard
• clavichord
• fiberboard
• fibreboard
• fingerboard
• harpsichord
• motherboard
• notochord
• overboard
• paperboard
• plasterboard
• shuffleboard

Kids Definition

overlord

noun

over·​lord ˈō-vər-ˌlȯ(ə)rd 

1

: a lord who rules over other lords

2

: an absolute or supreme ruler