dominate

verb

dom·​i·​nate ˈdä-mə-ˌnāt 

dominated; dominating

transitive verb

1

: rule, control

an empire that dominated the world

2

: to exert the supreme determining or guiding influence on

the ambition that has dominated his life

3

: to overlook from a superior elevation or command because of superior height or position

a hill that dominates the town

4

a

: to be predominant in

sugar maples dominate the forest

b

: to have a commanding or preeminent place or position in

name brands dominate the market

intransitive verb

1

: to have or exert mastery, control, or preeminence

his desire to dominate

a dominating factor in industrial growth

2

: to occupy a more elevated or superior position

dominative

ˈdä-mə-ˌnā-tiv 

adjective

dominator

ˈdä-mə-ˌnā-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• conquer
• overpower
• pacify
• subdue
• subject
• subjugate
• subordinate
• vanquish

Examples of dominate in a Sentence

One company has dominated the market for years.

He dominated her life for many years.

His work dominated the art scene last year.

Our team dominated throughout the game.

Our team dominated play throughout the game.

Recent Examples on the Web

At the same time, the baggy more-is-more look has been dominating for the past few years and seems like the trend that will never die. —Kristen Bateman, Vogue, 5 Apr. 2024

With Manchester City dominating the league title in recent seasons – it’s won in four of the last five years – only Liverpool has really been able to truly challenge Guardiola’s history makers of late. —Ben Church, CNN, 5 Apr. 2024

While the milligram amount of full spectrum extract has been more than doubled in this new version, the soothing mint flavor remains unchanged and dominates the flavor in a most pleasant way. —Cbd Scout, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024

Once here, brown rats rapidly took over black rats’ turf, dominating in just a few decades, per the study. —Lauren Leffer, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024

For decades, Cambodia has been dominated by the Cambodian People’s Party, whose longtime leader, Hun Sen, blocked independent media outlets and silenced Sochua and other critics of his regime with threats of violence. —Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2024

Here's where and when to see it Where to look for the devil comet on April 8 The solar eclipse will surely dominate America's attention April 8, but other planets and stars will appear as the sun's light is blocked by the moon. —USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024

The Congress Party, which dominated politics after India’s independence in 1947, has increasingly fielded its own candidates to fill seats in a majority of the states, alienating regional parties, many of whom were already at loggerheads with each other across state lines. —Astha Rajvanshi, TIME, 2 Apr. 2024

No single artist dominated, but all three, along with rapper Tobi, Indigenous singer-songwriter Aysanabee, and producer-engineer Shawn Everett took home a pair of trophies each. —Karen Bliss, Variety, 25 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin dominatus, past participle of dominari, from dominus master; akin to Latin domus house — more at dome

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

dominate

verb

dom·​i·​nate ˈdäm-ə-ˌnāt 

dominated; dominating

1

: to have a commanding position or controlling power over

2

: to seem to command by rising high above

a volcano dominates the island

domination

ˌdäm-ə-ˈnā-shən

noun

dominative

ˈdäm-ə-ˌnāt-iv 

adjective

dominator

-ˌnāt-ər 

noun

Etymology

derived from Latin dominari "to rule, govern, control," from dominus "master, owner" — related to condominium, dame, domain, dominion, don entry 2