a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler.
a person who exercises authority from property rights; an owner of land, houses, etc.
a person who is a leader or has great influence in a chosen profession.
the great lords of banking.
a feudal superior; the proprietor of a manor.
a titled nobleman or peer; a person whose ordinary appellation contains by courtesy the title Lord or some higher title.
Lords, the Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal comprising the House of Lords
Lord, (in Britain)
the title of certain high officials (used with some other title, name, or the like).
Lord Mayor of London.
the formally polite title of a bishop.
Lord Bishop of Durham.
the title informally substituted for Marquis, Earl, Viscount, etc., as in the use of Lord Kitchener for Earl Kitchener.
Lord, the Supreme Being; God.
Christianity. Lord, the Savior, Jesus Christ.
Astrology. a planet having dominating influence.
a person who has power or authority over others, such as a monarch or master
a male member of the nobility, esp in Britain
(in medieval Europe) a feudal superior, esp the master of a manor Compare lady
a husband considered as head of the household (archaic except in the facetious phrase lord and master )
astrology a planet having a dominating influence
a respectful form of address used to a judge, bishop, or nobleman
rare (tr) to make a lord of (a person)
to act in a superior manner towards (esp in the phrase lord it over )
a title given to God or Jesus Christ
a title given to men of high birth, specifically to an earl, marquess, baron, or viscount
a courtesy title given to the younger sons of a duke or marquess
the ceremonial title of certain high officials or of a bishop or archbishop
Lord Mayor
Lord of Appeal
Law Lord
Lord Bishop of Durham
First recorded before 900; Middle English lord, lover(e)d, Old English hlāford, hlāfweard literally, “loaf-keeper”; see loaf 1, ward; cf. lady ( def. )
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ms. Brown keeps yellowed documents from the farm’s early days, including the 1741 deed to the property from Lord Thomas Fairfax, who owned millions of acres in Virginia.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
The last prime minister not to live in Downing Street at all was Lord Salisbury at the end of the 19th century.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026
Charlie’s employer, Lord Wynstowe, returns to his London house, taking Charlie with him.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
Lord Mandelson was sacked in September but the row dogged the prime minister for month after month of what would turn out to be his remaining time in office.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
She’d sing hymns with Ma, eyes heavenward, arms uplifted, then pressed to her heart, acting out the words and trying to lead Ma, saying, “Let us praise the Lord, Sister Aku!”
From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo
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.
