Synonyms

dominate

American

[dom-uh-neyt] / ˈdɒm əˌneɪt /

verb (used with object)

to rule over; govern; control.
to tower above; overlook; overshadow.

A tall pine dominated the landscape.
to predominate, permeate, or characterize.
Mathematics. (of a series, vector, etc.) to have terms or components greater in absolute value than the corresponding terms or components of a given series, vector, etc.
Linguistics. (of a node in a tree diagram) to be connected with (a subordinate node) either directly by a single downward branch or indirectly by a sequence of downward branches.

verb (used without object)

to rule; exercise control; predominate.
to occupy a commanding or elevated position.

dominate British

/ ˈdɒmɪˌneɪt /

verb

to control, rule, or govern (someone or something)
to tower above (surroundings, etc); overlook
(tr; usually passive) to predominate in (something or someone)

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of dominate

First recorded in 1605–15; from Latin dominātus, past participle of dominārī “to master, control,” from domin(us) “lord, master” + -ārī, infinitive verb suffix

Explanation

If your basketball team is undefeated, you could say that it was able to dominate the competition. To dominate means to be in control or have the power to defeat. Dominate is related to the word domain — which means home. While these words may not seem all that similar, when you are the master of a home or thing, you dominate it. If you get angry, it is wise to not let your feelings dominate you or your actions. Dominate can also mean to be most prominent. If in the woods around your house, oak trees are the most common, you could say that "oak trees dominate the forest."

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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.

See Examples For:

dominate dominates dominated dominating

In counties where Crowley was expected to dominate, such as Milwaukee, Hong performed better than expected.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

China has repeatedly shown that it can dominate industries where scale, speed and cost matter most.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

"Small animals dominate modern ecosystems," said Stephanie Lechki, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 9, 2026

This last-minute legitimization would later allow Sand to legally inherit her father’s estate; it also established the uneasy balance between respectability and impropriety that would come to dominate her life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

But at another, as you’ll see, it was the start of a process that kept growing and growing over the years until it came to dominate our lives.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

The U.S. still dominates these trends, but it’s clear that breadth is increasing with the share of non-U.S. tech M&A jumping from 42% in 2016 to 76% last year.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

A cartoonish monument depicting a certain oafish world leader dominates the intersection outside.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

For more than two decades, two ISAs have dominated mainstream computing: x86, which powers most personal computers and servers, and Arm, which dominates smartphones and is expanding into cars, defense systems and artificial intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

A photograph of Broad Peak dominates the Observer, which looks at the "tragedy" that occurred on the mountain at the end of July.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

In America, we live in a world where Kim Kardashian dominates the news, not massacres in Africa.

From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana

The segment, still dominated today by Japanese firms, has won new popularity in recent years among customers put off by high prices for pure EVs and expensive fuel.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Heating, which a warming world will need less of, is still dominated by combustion fuels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

That confidence was evident as Glave dominated his semi-final earlier in the evening, and he executed to perfection when it mattered most.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Recently, capital expenditures in the U.S. have been dominated by AI-related spending.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026

For the first time in warfare, artillery dominated the battlefield.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Instead, the 34-year-old has remained in Europe by joining Trabzonspor, a club better known for upsetting Turkey's established order than dominating it.

From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026

The Spider-Man opening is a much-needed success for the superhero movie genre, which has been in a slump recently after dominating the box office in the 2010s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

If you believe a handful of companies will keep dominating technology, invest — but still do the research yourself.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

“What happened in recent days in Zacatecas is one more indication that ... criminality remains present, dominating territory, with links to local governments,” wrote columnist Carlos Puig in Mexico’s Milenio news outlet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026

Even if different people are singing or playing different parts, it is not necessarily considered counterpoint if the parts are not independent enough, or if one of the parts is very clearly a dominating melody.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023