domain

American  

[doh-meyn] / doʊˈmeɪn /

noun

• domains
  plural

1. a field of action, thought, influence, etc..

   the domain of science.

2. the territory governed by a single ruler or government; realm.

3. a realm or range of personal knowledge, responsibility, etc.

4. a region characterized by a specific feature, type of growth or wildlife, etc..

   We entered the domain of the pine trees.

5. Law. land to which there is superior title and absolute ownership.

6. Biology. a taxonomic category of the highest rank, just above kingdom, grouping together all forms of life having certain fundamental characteristics in common: in the three-domain system of classification adopted by many biologists, separate domains are assigned to the archaea (Archaea), bacteria (Bacteria), and eukaryotes (Eukaryota).

7. Mathematics.

   1. the set of values assigned to the independent variables of a function.

   2. region.

8. Computers.

   1. a group of computers and devices on a network that are administered under the same protocol.

   2. (on the internet) one or more computers or computer networks under the same administrative control, identified by a domain name or any of its discrete parts.

   3. top-level domain.

9. Physics. one of many regions of magnetic polarity within a ferromagnetic body, each consisting of a number of atoms having a common polarity, and collectively determining the magnetic properties of the body by their arrangement.

10. Crystallography. a connected region with uniform polarization in a twinned ferroelectric crystal.

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domain British  

/ dəˈmeɪn /

noun

1. land governed by a ruler or government

2. land owned by one person or family

3. a field or scope of knowledge or activity

4. a region having specific characteristics or containing certain types of plants or animals

5. a park or recreation reserve maintained by a public authority, often the government

6. law the absolute ownership and right to dispose of land See also demesne eminent domain

7. maths

   1. the set of values of the independent variable of a function for which the functional value exists Compare range

      the domain of sin x is all real numbers

   2. any open set containing at least one point

8. logic another term for universe of discourse

   domain of quantification

9. philosophy range of significance (esp in the phrase domain of definition )

10. Also called: magnetic domain.  physics one of the regions in a ferromagnetic solid in which all the atoms have their magnetic moments aligned in the same direction

11. computing a group of computers, functioning and administered as a unit, that are identified by sharing the same domain name on the internet

12. Also called: superkingdom.  biology the highest level of classification of living organisms. Three domains are recognized: Archaea (see archaean ), Bacteria (see bacteria ), and Eukarya (see eukaryote )

13. biochem a structurally compact portion of a protein molecule

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domain Scientific  

/ dō-mān′ /

1. Mathematics The set of all values that an independent variable of a function can have. In the function y = 2 x, the set of values that x (the independent variable) can have is the domain.

2. Mathematics Compare range

3. Computer Science A group of networked computers that share a common communications address.

4. Biology A division of organisms that ranks above a kingdom in systems of classification that are based on shared similarities in DNA sequences rather than shared structural similarities. In these systems, there are three domains: the archaea, the bacteria, and the eukaryotes.

5. Physics A region in a ferromagnetic substance in which the substance is magnetized with the same polarization throughout.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• domanial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• domains
  plural

Etymology

Origin of domain

First recorded in 1595–1605; from French domaine, alteration (by association with Latin dominium “right of ownership, property”) of Old French demeine, from Late Latin dominicum, noun use of neuter of Latin dominicus “of a master,” equivalent to domin(us) “lord, master” + -icus; see origin at dominium, -ic

Explanation

If you have a place that's all your own, somewhere real or in cyberspace that has your name all over it — literally or figuratively — it's your domain. And if you have something you really excel at, that is your domain too. You own it. A domain used to mean only land owned by wealthy people, such as lords in the 15th century, but modern usage is much wider, or has a broader domain in the English language. On the Internet, a domain is a space with a specific address, but a domain can also have a physical address, like a home. It can be a specialty, too, as in, "The main domain of the art school was sculpture," or "She was so good at math that algebra became her domain."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

domain domains

Petrie-Morris announced that Fairground’s first products would riff on beloved public domain characters—Robin Hood, etc.—and then hopefully earn access to established IP through studio partnerships.

From Slate ● Aug. 16, 2026

The chatbot cost $5,000 to make, a sum that includes the cost to secure the domain, host the site and obtain the pro version of Anthropic’s Claude AI model, plus staff time, according to Arellano.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

"Most of those don't collide with anything, most of the time," Matthew Archer, deputy director for launch and space domain awareness at the UK Space Agency told AFP on a visit to the observatory.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

By 1453 the Roman Empire’s domain had been reduced to Constantinople and some thin strips of coastal territory outside the city, as well as a few Aegean islands and the Peloponnese.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

“Pffft. Last I checked, you’re in my domain, peon.”

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone

"Surprisingly, we discovered this collapse happens at every level of genome organization -- compartments, domains, and chromatin loops."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

“Particularly in a lot of domains, you can fully computerize that whole loop,” he said—the inspiration for the startup’s name.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

To be successful in achieving Bessent’s objectives, the U.S. government will need a comprehensive framework for industrial policies that treats geoeconomics, AI and energy as intertwined domains, not as separate silos.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Miyazaki’s tales also tend to immerse us in supernatural domains existing parallel to our own, as if reality masks more ethereal, life-affirming realms.

From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026

Such bureaucracies were essential not only to governing large and populous domains but also to maintaining standing armies, sending out fleets of exploration, and organizing wars of conquest.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• realm
• sphere
• territory