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• dom
  dom

  noun

  Sometimes Dom a title of a monk in the Benedictine, Carthusian, Cistercian, and certain other monastic orders.
• Dom
  Dom

  noun

  a male given name, form of Dominic.
• DOM
  DOM

  abbreviation

  a potent, long-acting hallucinogen, C 12 H 19 NO 2 , usually taken orally in the form of a tablet: DOM is strictly controlled in several countries, including the United States, where it is illegal to manufacture, distribute, buy, or possess this psychedelic drug.
• -dom
  -dom

  a suffix forming nouns which refer to domain (kingdom ), collection of persons (officialdom ), rank or station (earldom ), or general condition (freedom ).
• dom.
  dom.

  abbreviation

  domain.
• Dom.
  Dom.

  abbreviation

  Dominica.
• d.o.m.
  d.o.m.

  abbreviation

  dirty old man.
• D.O.M.
  D.O.M.

  abbreviation

  to God, the Best, the Greatest.

dom

¹ American  

[dom, dawn] / dɒm, dɔ̃ /

noun

1. Sometimes Dom a title of a monk in the Benedictine, Carthusian, Cistercian, and certain other monastic orders.

2. Usually Dom a Portuguese title affixed to a man's given name; Sir: formerly a title of certain dignitaries.

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dom ² American  

[dom] / dɒm /

noun

1. a dominant in a BDSM sexual encounter or relationship.

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verb (used with object)

dommed, domming

1. to act as the dominant partner in a BDSM sexual encounter or relationship.

verb (used without object)

dommed, domming

1. to act as the dominant partner to (someone) in a BDSM sexual encounter or relationship.

Dom ³ American  

[dom] / dɒm /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Dominic.

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DOM ⁴ American  

abbreviation

Pharmacology.

1. a potent, long-acting hallucinogen, C 12 H 19 NO 2 , usually taken orally in the form of a tablet: DOM is strictly controlled in several countries, including the United States, where it is illegal to manufacture, distribute, buy, or possess this psychedelic drug.

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-dom ⁵ American  

1. a suffix forming nouns which refer to domain (kingdom ), collection of persons (officialdom ), rank or station (earldom ), or general condition (freedom ).

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dom. ⁶ American  

abbreviation

1. domain.

2. domestic.

3. dominant.

4. dominion.

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Dom. ⁷ American  

abbreviation

1. Dominica.

2. Dominican.

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d.o.m. ⁸ American  

abbreviation

Slang.

1. dirty old man.

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D.O.M. ⁹ American  

abbreviation

1. to God, the Best, the Greatest.

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-dom ¹ British  

suffix

1. state or condition

   freedom

   martyrdom

2. rank or office

   earldom

3. domain

   kingdom

   Christendom

4. a collection of persons

   officialdom

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DOM ² British  

abbreviation

1. Deo Optimo Maximo

2. informal Dirty Old Man

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abbreviation

1. Dominican Republic (international car registration)

dom ³ British  

/ dɒm /

noun

1. (sometimes capital) RC Church a title given to Benedictine, Carthusian, and Cistercian monks and to certain of the canons regular

2. (formerly in Portugal and Brazil) a title borne by royalty, princes of the Church, and nobles

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Dom. ⁴ British  

abbreviation

1. Dominican

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Usage

What does -dom mean? The suffix -dom denotes nouns for domains, collections of persons, rank or station, or general condition. It is often used in a variety of everyday and technical terms. The suffix -dom comes from Old English -dōm, meaning “statute, judgment, or jurisdiction.” Another descendant in modern English from this stem is doom, which today means “unavoidable ill fortune; ruin, death” but originally referred to a judgment or legal decision, especially an unfavorable one.

Etymology

Origin of dom¹

First recorded from 1710–20; shortened from Latin dominus “lord, master”

Origin of dom²

First recorded in 1985–90; shortened from dominant ( def. )

Origin of DOM⁴

First recorded in 1965–70; from chemical name 2,5-Dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine; first synthesized in 1963 by U.S. psychopharmacologist Alexander Shulgin (1925–2014)

Origin of -dom⁵

Middle English; Old English -dōm; cognate with Old Norse -dōmr, German -tum; see doom

Origin of D.O.M.⁹

From Latin Deō Optimō Maximō

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dom Dom DOM dom. Dom. D.O.M. dommed

By selling out Shiv, as he always does, and exploiting Kendall's insecurity that he's "not Logan," Roman has kenneled his siblings while securing a new dom in the White House.

From Salon ● May 20, 2023

They’re far from the only dom to feel awkward, silly, out of place, or—yes—laughable.

From Slate ● Jan. 24, 2021

Fizzy wine wasn’t desirable, and removing the fizz was the problem that the dom was trying to fix.

From New York Times ● Aug. 3, 2017

Lord Ashcroft, the Tories' deputy chairman and biggest single donor, announced at the beginning of March that he was a "non dom" - someone who does not pay UK tax on overseas earnings.

From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2010

As he leaned against it, panting, Heqet dropped from the branches of the dom palm and ran toward him.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Its quality is a credit to author David Sager, musician and scholar, and to commentators Gaye Todd Adegbalola and Dom Flemons.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Likho’s biggest fan may be a man named Dom Gomez.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

During the marathon, Dom Davis won seven coins in a six-minute burst of two-second sudden-death auctions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026

When Dave Shae boarded the first-class cabin for his Emirates flight from New York to Milan, he was greeted with bottomless Dom Perignon and white-glove caviar service.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 5, 2026

And what about my dad and Dr. Van Dom?

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

The growing American appetite for chain pizza made Domino’s Pizza DOM -2.52%decrease; red down pointing triangle one of the best restaurant stocks to own for decades.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

As plastics continue to fragment and degrade under sunlight, the release of MPs DOM is expected to increase.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 31, 2025

DOM is in a spacious underground room, with a glowing bar done in striated honey onyx as its cynosure.

From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2022

We want somebody who can build code, analyze the DOM, understands page performance, and implement design and functionality changes that produce results.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2015

The first object of my visitation at Manheim, on the morrow, was the house of DOM.

From A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany, Volume Three by Thomas Frognall Dibdin

Bi þare séé in ore vt lete. þar he demeþ mony riht dom. ⁊ diht ⁊ wryt mony wisdom.

From Selections from early Middle English, 1130-1250 Part I: Texts by Joseph Hall

And eueruyches monnes dom.     to his owere dure churreþ.

From Selections from early Middle English, 1130-1250 Part I: Texts by Joseph Hall

“And the other person who had that presence was Dom. And he was gone as well.”

From The Guardian ● Mar. 12, 2021

“So it has been a little bit of a process with Dom. It’s not always, ‘Here’s an opening, here you go.’

From New York Times ● Aug. 29, 2018

"Oh—hi, Mrs. Van Dom. This is Bobby. I'm really sorry to be calling so late. Could I talk to Alicia?"

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

Dom. in Tribes and Castes of Bengal, and of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh.

From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India—Volume I (of IV) by R. V. (Robert Vane) Russell

Dom. is the beginning, without occasional personality, or an event that deserved to be called a germinal.

From The Annals of the Parish; or, the chronicle of Dalmailing during the ministry of the Rev. Micah Balwhidder by John Galt

The hotel’s full name, Deo Optimo Maximo, abbreviated D.O.M., derives from a Latin inscription found in an adjacent church and evokes the site’s previous ecclesiastical incarnation.

From New York Times ● Nov. 26, 2014

Don't ask me for your dommed old knife.

From West Wind Drift by George Barr McCutcheon

Peelin' praties fer that dommed pisener in th' kitchen.

From The Promise A Tale of the Great Northwest by James B. (James Beardsley) Hendryx

"Ye think Oi 'm a dommed fool?" he ejaculated, hoarsely.

From Beth Norvell A Romance of the West by Randall Parrish

There followed a sound of falling rocks below, a fierce shaking of the suspended rope, and then a muffled voice sang out an order, "H'ist away, and be dommed ter yer."

From Beth Norvell A Romance of the West by Randall Parrish

"I'll go whin I'm dommed good an' ready," said Callahan, jabbing the snout of his oiler into the link machinery.

From The Grafters by Francis Lynde