lord
Americannoun
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a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler.
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a person who exercises authority from property rights; an owner of land, houses, etc.
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a person who is a leader or has great influence in a chosen profession.
the great lords of banking.
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a feudal superior; the proprietor of a manor.
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a titled nobleman or peer; a person whose ordinary appellation contains by courtesy the title Lord or some higher title.
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Lords, the Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal comprising the House of Lords
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Lord, (in Britain)
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the title of certain high officials (used with some other title, name, or the like).
Lord Mayor of London.
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the formally polite title of a bishop.
Lord Bishop of Durham.
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the title informally substituted for Marquis, Earl, Viscount, etc., as in the use of Lord Kitchener for Earl Kitchener.
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Lord, the Supreme Being; God.
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Christianity. Lord, the Savior, Jesus Christ.
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Astrology. a planet having dominating influence.
interjection
idioms
noun
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a person who has power or authority over others, such as a monarch or master
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a male member of the nobility, esp in Britain
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(in medieval Europe) a feudal superior, esp the master of a manor Compare lady
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a husband considered as head of the household (archaic except in the facetious phrase lord and master )
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astrology a planet having a dominating influence
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a respectful form of address used to a judge, bishop, or nobleman
verb
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rare (tr) to make a lord of (a person)
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to act in a superior manner towards (esp in the phrase lord it over )
noun
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a title given to God or Jesus Christ
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a title given to men of high birth, specifically to an earl, marquess, baron, or viscount
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a courtesy title given to the younger sons of a duke or marquess
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the ceremonial title of certain high officials or of a bishop or archbishop
Lord Mayor
Lord of Appeal
Law Lord
Lord Bishop of Durham
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interjection
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lord
First recorded before 900; Middle English lord, lover(e)d, Old English hlāford, hlāfweard literally, “loaf-keeper”; see loaf 1, ward; cf. lady ( def. )
Explanation
A lord is powerful person who's in charge, or is a ruler or master. Sometimes tigers are described as the lords of the jungle, because they're the strongest, most ferocious predators that live there. You'll most often see lord describing a man who holds authority or strong influence in a particular area, like a wealthy CEO who's known as a "lord of capitalism," or the head of a large drug-dealing enterprise who's called a "drug lord." Originally, a lord was a landowner during the feudal period in medieval Europe. Even today, a British lord holds an elite title marking him as a baron, earl, or duke.
Vocabulary lists containing lord
Medieval Europe - Introductory
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Medieval Europe - Middle School
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Medieval Europe - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Harmon left the soap in 1978, but returned in the early 1990s to play a lawyer representing Cathy’s rival Viki Lord.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
Some royalist leaders, including Lord Capel, removed their hats before execution as a calculated appeal to the crowd.
From Science Daily • May 7, 2026
A "grudging" acknowledgment that he had handled the UK's response to the Iran war well had been soured by the Lord Mandelson saga, they said.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
The theft of McSweeney's government phone came to light earlier this year, as the government was publishing documents about the appointment of Lord Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
“I wonder what name Lord Fredrick and Lady Constance have picked for the baby,” she chirped.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.