dominate
Americanverb (used with object)
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dominates,
present (3rd person singular)
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dominated,
past participle, past
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dominating
present participle
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to tower above; overlook; overshadow.
A tall pine dominated the landscape.
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to predominate, permeate, or characterize.
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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.
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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)
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dominates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
dominated,
past participle, past
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dominating
present participle
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to rule; exercise control; predominate.
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to occupy a commanding or elevated position.
verb
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to control, rule, or govern (someone or something)
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to tower above (surroundings, etc); overlook
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(tr; usually passive) to predominate in (something or someone)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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dominatornoun
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redominateverb
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overdominateverb (used with object)
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dominatingadjective
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dominativeadjective
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nondominatingadjective
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undominatedadjective
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well-dominatedadjective
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dominatinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dominatesimple
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dominatessimple
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have dominatedperfect
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has dominatedperfect
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am dominatingprogressive
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are dominatingprogressive
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is dominatingprogressive
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have been dominatingperfect progressive
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has been dominatingperfect progressive
Past
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dominatedsimple
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had dominatedperfect
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was dominatingprogressive
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were dominatingprogressive
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had been dominatingperfect progressive
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."
Vocabulary lists containing dominate
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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:
Despite the competition, Netflix’s original programs still dominate the most-watched streaming lists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
China has repeatedly shown that it can dominate industries where scale, speed and cost matter most.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
The World Meteorological Organisation, the UN agency for climate and weather, says a strong El Niño event is developing and is expected to "dominate global climate patterns" in the coming months.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Washington has spent the past decade working to secure choke points of the semiconductor industry: fabrication plants, lithography equipment, advanced packaging, critical minerals and the handful of companies that dominate each.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Jobs came of age breathing the air of the very business he would later dominate.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
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
When one of your favorite actors suddenly dominates your social media feed, it is easy to fear the worst.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
A cartoonish monument depicting a certain oafish world leader dominates the intersection outside.
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026
China dominates production of the materials that go into today’s leading battery technologies that are based on lithium-ion chemistry, even though it was perfected in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Maybe the Collective dominates his mind more than the dream of what life would’ve been on Sagan.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Long a symbol of German industrial might, the brand dominated the West German market and sold well across Europe in the 1970s thanks to successful and affordable models like the Kadett and the Rekord.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
An alternative Arctic route, the Northwest Passage that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans via the Canadian Arctic, is less passable because it is dominated by narrow waterways where ice gets bunched up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
They go to WSG Tirol on Sunday having collected four points from their opening two matches - a win over Hartberg and a frustrating 1-1 draw at Wolfsberg, where Salzburg dominated.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The color palette is dominated by greens, blues and violets toward the east, marking the sun’s rise, and reds, oranges and golds to the west.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
They didn’t trust the white radicals who dominated the peace movement, and they didn’t want civil rights linked with hippie protestors.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
"Spider-Man: Brand New Day" continued dominating the North American box office, drawing an additional $70 million in ticket sales on its third weekend on the big screen, according to industry estimates.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
With penalties too, it is clear to see why he is dominating the budget forward category.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
“They all came in at huge weights, and where they are in terms of the market capitalization, they are now dominating this value benchmark.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
If you believe a handful of companies will keep dominating technology, invest — but still do the research yourself.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
All I knew was that he was always at the court, dominating the game, taking everybody's money.
From "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds
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.
