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
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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:
Great Britain's Dina Asher-Smith, Amy Hunt, Success Eduan and Imani-Lara Lansiquot dominate the 4x100m relay to win a brilliant gold.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Despite the competition, Netflix’s original programs still dominate the most-watched streaming lists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
China has repeatedly shown that it can dominate industries where scale, speed and cost matter most.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
A small number of high-volume sellers dominate ticket resale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
But at another, as you’ll see, it was the start of a process that kept growing and growing over the years until it came to dominate our lives.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
The tariffs are the latest push by the U.S. to encourage manufacturers to bring production onshore and reduce reliance China, which dominates the drone market.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
A cartoonish monument depicting a certain oafish world leader dominates the intersection outside.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
The social media giant dominates the market for smart glasses, which allow people to capture photos and videos, listen to music, take phone calls and ask questions to an artificial intelligence assistant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Add school runs, shopping trips and other everyday journeys, and walking dominates urban mobility.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Above us, a heavy yellow moon dominates the star-strewn sky.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Marketing the “C-Beauty” concept in an era dominated by Korean and Japanese products won’t be an easy sell, however.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
As Germany's Opel slashes its engineering ranks and partners with China's Leapmotor, anxiety is running high in Ruesselsheim, the city it has long dominated.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
And they're gaining additional interest at a time when the open source market is dominated by Chinese AI models like Qwen, DeepSeek and GLM.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
The color palette is dominated by greens, blues and violets toward the east, marking the sun’s rise, and reds, oranges and golds to the west.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
All the while Zita wore a smile on her open face, which was framed by straight light brown hair and dominated by thick, pink-rimmed glasses.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" continued dominating the North American box office, drawing an additional $70 million in ticket sales on its third weekend on the big screen, according to industry estimates.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
As heavy as this approach is on dominating through the winger, this does not mean the players infield don't play a valuable role.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Known as an “urchin” bait, the lure is dominating professional competitions, sparking a rush of imitators and provoking the sort of shelf-clearing buying frenzies you see for Pokemons and Beanie Babies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
If you believe a handful of companies will keep dominating technology, invest — but still do the research yourself.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
If anyone understood having to forge one’s own path, navigating everything from his mixed-race identity to dominating a sport where African Americans had never been welcomed, it was Peter.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
