fiefdom

[feef-duhm]

noun

1. the estate or domain of a feudal lord.

2. Informal.,  anything, as an organization or real estate, owned or controlled by one dominant person or group.

fiefdom

/ ˈfiːfdəm /

noun

1. (in feudal Europe) the property owned by a lord

2. an area over which a person or organization exerts authority or influence

Word History and Origins

Origin of fiefdom¹

First recorded in 1805–15; fief + -dom

Example Sentences

She brought Lewandowski with her to run the massive department as if it’s their own fiefdom.

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But Museveni's critics see it differently - arguing that the president has ruled with an iron fist since seizing power, and has turned the country into his family's fiefdom.

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I believe in the government institutions that make us a union of states rather than a pastiche of fiefdoms.

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Rangel’s attorney, Tamar Arminak, said her client felt vindicated by the jury’s decision, after spending years trying to blow the whistle about a division that was essentially run as its own fiefdom.

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His idea of governance isn’t streamlining the state — it’s turning it into his personal fiefdom.

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