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

Example Sentences

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

Generally, though, members of both political parties agreed during the session that doing so is appropriate, with most appearing to eschew the highly partisan theatrics that have come to dominate congressional dialogue on many matters. —Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2023

Last year, The Quiet Girl opened the festival, and would later dominate the Irish film and TV awards and break local box office records, on its way to landing two BAFTA nominations and the first Oscar nomination for an Irish-language drama. —Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2023

Chinese companies have come to dominate the EV supply chain, buying up mines and processing facilities around the world. —WIRED, 20 Feb. 2023

Patrick is also placing emphasis on red meat cultural issues that have come to dominate the Republican agenda for the past several years. —Dallas News, 13 Feb. 2023

The genes copy themselves exponentially from generation to generation, rapidly coming to dominate the whole population. —Matthew Cobb, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2023

In the mid-1800s — the early days of Texas independence — the Peeler family began snapping up land for a namesake ranch that would come to dominate its corner of Atascosa County. —Elena Bruess, San Antonio Express-News, 7 Jan. 2023

So how did such weak, wimpy creatures come to dominate the planet? —Alisa Bowman, Discover Magazine, 30 Dec. 2022

Knapped from higher-quality stone, with fluted ends that were wedged into spear tips, Clovis points came to dominate the continent’s toolmaking landscape about 13,000 years ago. —Bymike Price, science.org, 23 Dec. 2022

See More

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