dominance
Americannoun
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control; authority; rule; supreme influence.
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the condition of being dominant, or having the authority to influence or control.
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Psychology. the disposition of an individual to assert control in dealing with others.
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Animal Behavior. high status in a social group, usually acquired as the result of aggression, that involves the tendency to take priority in access to limited resources, as food, mates, or space.
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Neurology. the normal tendency for one side of the brain to be more important than the other in controlling certain functions, as speech and language.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dominance
First recorded in 1810–20; domin(ant) + -ance
Explanation
When you have power over others you are said to have dominance. For years, the British Empire had dominance over much of the world, ruling vast stretches of Africa, India, and Asia. In packs of animals, the males will often fight to determine dominance, i.e., who is top dog. Or top lion. This happens in classrooms too, with the teacher needing to establish dominance over unruly students. If your football team has dominance over its league, it means they usually beat—or dominate—most of the other teams in the league.
Vocabulary lists containing dominance
Trumps
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Donald Trump Foreign Policy Address
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Spain has been managing Yamal’s minutes while he recovers from injury, but Thursday was supposed to be an opportunity to unleash his dominance.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 2, 2026
It is the largest penalty the EU has handed the search giant in years of efforts to curb its dominance online.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
In the two years that followed, more positions were eliminated as Microsoft shifted its focus to funding AI in the race for dominance in the industry.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026
A frenzied push for artificial intelligence dominance comes with a different kind of cost for Meta, where massive layoffs, employee surveillance and departures have fueled reports of a heated internal climate.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
But nowhere was the rout of classical music’s previous position of dominance more clearly seen than in musical theatre.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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.
