dominate
Americanverb (used with object)
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dominates,
present (3rd person singular)
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dominated,
past participle, past
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dominating
present participle
-
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to tower above; overlook; overshadow.
A tall pine dominated the landscape.
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to predominate, permeate, or characterize.
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Mathematics. (of a series, vector, etc.) to have terms or components greater in absolute value than the corresponding terms or components of a given series, vector, etc.
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Linguistics. (of a node in a tree diagram) to be connected with (a subordinate node) either directly by a single downward branch or indirectly by a sequence of downward branches.
verb (used without object)
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dominates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dominated,
past participle, past
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dominating
present participle
-
to rule; exercise control; predominate.
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to occupy a commanding or elevated position.
verb
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to control, rule, or govern (someone or something)
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to tower above (surroundings, etc); overlook
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(tr; usually passive) to predominate in (something or someone)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dominatornoun
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redominateverb
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overdominateverb (used with object)
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dominatingadjective
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dominativeadjective
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nondominatingadjective
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undominatedadjective
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well-dominatedadjective
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dominatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dominatesimple
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dominatessimple
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have dominatedperfect
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has dominatedperfect
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am dominatingprogressive
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are dominatingprogressive
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is dominatingprogressive
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have been dominatingperfect progressive
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has been dominatingperfect progressive
Past
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dominatedsimple
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had dominatedperfect
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was dominatingprogressive
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were dominatingprogressive
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had been dominatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dominate
First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin dominātus, past participle of dominārī “to master, control,” from domin(us) “lord, master” + -ārī, infinitive verb suffix
Explanation
If your basketball team is undefeated, you could say that it was able to dominate the competition. To dominate means to be in control or have the power to defeat. Dominate is related to the word domain — which means home. While these words may not seem all that similar, when you are the master of a home or thing, you dominate it. If you get angry, it is wise to not let your feelings dominate you or your actions. Dominate can also mean to be most prominent. If in the woods around your house, oak trees are the most common, you could say that "oak trees dominate the forest."
Vocabulary lists containing dominate
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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.
See Examples For:
The companies leading the race to build artificial superintelligence describe the technology as a force that could reshape entire economies, create vast fortunes and dominate future warfare, potentially altering the geopolitical power balance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
It comes as semiconductor stocks have had a banner year amid hyperscalers boosting their artificial-intelligence capital expenditure to quickly fund the buildout of the tool as the race to dominate in the industry fuels on.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026
While Silicon Valley heavyweights OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta dominate the landscape, young startups like Instinct are also becoming breakout hits.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Sandro Tonali: Given far too much room in the centre of the pitch, which allowed him to dominate.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
So for a sufficiently large number of matter particles, gravitational forces can dominate over all other forces.
From "A Brief History of Time: And Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking
A US real estate firm announced Wednesday it is buying the Chrysler Building and will undertake a vast makeover of the Art Deco landmark that dominates New York City's skyline.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Of necessity, Krasner dominates the end, with oversize canvases made in the 1960s and 1970s after she moved into the barn studio—which must have taken courage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026
The Manchester City logo dominates the front page of the Sun, with the paper asking: "Going down?"
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
"The earliest bodies in the outer Solar System were built from 83% to 92% chondrules, with very little of the icy, volatile-rich dust that dominates later-forming objects."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 23, 2026
A single billboard, mounted on the cornice of the building across the alley, dominates the view; its surface gleams three yards beyond the glass.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Preorders for the iPhone Duo began Friday, marking Apple’s debut in a foldable phone market largely dominated by Samsung and Google.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Preorders for the iPhone Duo began Friday, marking Apple’s debut in a foldable smartphone market largely dominated by Samsung and Google.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026
That evolved into a 'Big Two' during the late 1990s and early 2000s as Manchester United and Arsenal dominated, before expanding to a 'Big Four' as Chelsea and Liverpool regularly finished in the top four.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
But the council member nevertheless made it into the general election against Bass, and dominated their second debate, hosted in August by the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
All languages embody the obsessions of the people who speak them, and so Sasha’s language was meant to reflect the interests of a people whose world was dominated by growing seasons, grains, and harvests.
From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater
High-stakes conflicts over artificial intelligence, data privacy, workplace culture, antitrust laws and other issues are dominating the news and defining our modern era.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Both said that the scandal dominating the headlines and the loss of their dream jobs sent them into the depths of despair.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Over its 103-year-old history, Warner Bros has won more than 100 Academy Awards - including dominating at last year's show with a record-tying 11 Oscars for One Battle After Another, Sinners and Weapons.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
South Korea's unstoppable An became the first woman badminton player to win two singles titles in Games history after dominating home hope Akane Yamaguchi 21-17, 21-9.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
Descendants of those societies that achieved centralized government and organized religion earliest ended up dominating the modern world.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
