dome

[ dohm ]

/ doʊm /

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See synonyms for: dome / domed on Thesaurus.com

noun

Architecture.

a vault, having a circular plan and usually in the form of a portion of a sphere, so constructed as to exert an equal thrust in all directions.
a domical roof or ceiling.
a polygonal vault, ceiling, or roof.

any covering thought to resemble the hemispherical vault of a building or room: the great dome of the sky.

anything shaped like a hemisphere or inverted bowl.

(in a dam) a semidome having its convex surface toward the impounded water.

Crystallography. a form having planes that intersect the vertical axis and are parallel to one of the lateral axes.

Geology. upwarp.

Also called vistadome. Railroads. a raised, glass-enclosed section of the roof of a passenger car, placed over an elevated section of seats to afford passengers a full view of scenery.

Horology. an inner cover for the works of a watch, which snaps into the rim of the case.

a mountain peak having a rounded summit.

Slang. a person's head: I wish I could get the idea into that thick dome of yours.

verb (used with object), domed, dom·ing.

to cover with or as if with a dome.

to shape like a dome.

verb (used without object), domed, dom·ing.

to rise or swell as a dome.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of dome

1505–15; <Middle French dome<Italian duomo<Medieval Latin domus (Deī) house (of God), church; akin to timber

OTHER WORDS FROM dome

domelike, adjective

Words nearby dome

Domagk, domain, domain name, domal, domatium, dome, dome car, domed, dome fastener, dome light, Domenic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dome in a sentence

It comes with a curtain you can attach to any side of the dome to create a full wall of protection, and it sets up quickly and packs down to the size of a small camping tent.
Car Camping Is Way Better with These 5 Pieces of Gear|Jakob Schiller|September 26, 2020|Outside Online
When it rains, the dome doubles as a useful cooking or hangout structure.
Car Camping Is Way Better with These 5 Pieces of Gear|Jakob Schiller|September 26, 2020|Outside Online
The company says the dome was inspired by the Pantheon in Rome.
Apple’s ‘most ambitious’ new store is a departure from its signature design|claychandler|September 8, 2020|Fortune
Using these photos as a reference, we constructed a to-scale version of the dome.
The Minecraft Institvte of Technology|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review

The decision to close up the domes and leave the mountaintops behind might seem odd — after all, we put telescopes out in the middle of nowhere and study things that are billions of light-years away.
Social Distancing From the Stars|Emily Levesque|August 11, 2020|Quanta Magazine
The dome could be rebuilt by 2021 if work stays on schedule, according to workers at the site.
Madonna, Carla Bruni & Obama Abandoned Pledges To Rebuild L'Aquila After The Quake|Barbie Latza Nadeau|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From deep within, looking up at the tropical sky is like staring through the dome of some kind of earthen cathedral.
What Made Mexico’s Most Mysterious Beach?|Brandon Presser|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nevertheless, should Iron Dome funding come up for a vote this week, it is expected to receive overwhelming support.
Even Left-Wing Politicians Can’t Quit Israel|Tim Mak|July 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Without an Iron Dome defense system, air raid sirens or even bomb shelters, people resign themselves to their fate.
A Child’s Funeral in Gaza|Jesse Rosenfeld|July 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But very little of the ISIS ethos has to do with hitting the Freedom Tower or the Capitol Dome.
Iraq Is Not Our War Anymore. Let It Be Iran’s Problem.|Christopher Dickey|July 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If it had not been for the high, dome-shaped roof, the air would have grown heavy and impure.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
In front of him, dome upon dome of wooded mountain stood against the sky.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
The buildings grew higher toward the center of the dome, but I stopped while they were still two stories.
Fee of the Frontier|Horace Brown Fyfe
The inside of Jorgensen's always surprised new visitors to Asaph Dome.
Fee of the Frontier|Horace Brown Fyfe
A trace of light had begun to soften the sky over the dome, but had not yet seeped down to ground level.
Fee of the Frontier|Horace Brown Fyfe

British Dictionary definitions for dome

dome

/ (dəʊm) /

noun

a hemispherical roof or vault or a structure of similar form

something shaped like this

crystallog a crystal form in which two planes intersect along an edge parallel to a lateral axis

a slang word for the head

geology

a structure in which rock layers slope away in all directions from a central point
another name for pericline (def. 2)

verb (tr)

to cover with or as if with a dome

to shape like a dome

Derived forms of dome

domelike, adjectivedomical (ˈdəʊmɪkəl, ˈdɒm-), adjective

Word Origin for dome

C16: from French, from Italian duomo cathedral, from Latin domus house

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for dome

dome

[ dōm ]

A circular or elliptical area of uplifted rock in which the rock dips gently away, in all directions, from a central point.

A wedge-shaped mineral crystal that has two nonparallel, similarly inclined faces that intersect along a plane of symmetry.

dome

Origin of dome

OTHER WORDS FROM dome

Words nearby dome

Words related to dome

How to use dome in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dome

Derived forms of dome

Word Origin for dome

Scientific definitions for dome