dominate

[ dom-uh-neyt ]

/ ˈdɒm əˌneɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dominate ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), dom·i·nat·ed, dom·i·nat·ing.

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), dom·i·nat·ed, dom·i·nat·ing.

to rule; exercise control; predominate.

to occupy a commanding or elevated position.

Nearby words

dominant inheritance, dominant seventh chord, dominant tenement, dominant trait, dominant wavelength, dominate, domination, dominations, dominative, dominatrix, domine

Origin of dominate

1605–15; < Latin dominātus (past participle of dominārī to master, control), equivalent to domin- (stem of dominus) master + -ātus -ate¹

Related forms

dom·i·nat·ing·ly, adverbdom·i·na·tor, nounnon·dom·i·nat·ing, adjectiveo·ver·dom·i·nate, verb (used with object), o·ver·dom·i·nat·ed, o·ver·dom·i·nat·ing.

re·dom·i·nate, verb, re·dom·i·nat·ed, re·dom·i·nat·ing.un·dom·i·nat·ed, adjectivewell-dom·i·nat·ed, adjective

Can be confused

dominant dominate domineer (see synonym study at dominant)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for dominated

Submission is set in a France seven years from now that is dominated by a Muslim president intent on imposing Islamic law.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
They excite people, and primaries tend to be dominated by voters who are the most excited.
The Devil in Mike Huckabee|Dean Obeidallah|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A few minor notes, born of reflection: Traditionally, the best columns are dominated by politics—its most popular topic.
The Best Columns of 2014|John Avlon, Errol Louis|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Nestled in the hills are small market towns like Buleda, dominated by Baluch who make a living smuggling diesel and drugs.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan|Umar Farooq|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And by 1918 there had been a tumultuous upheaval of the four dynasties that dominated East and Central Europe.
How WWI Produced the Holocaust|J.P. O’Malley|November 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The system is dominated, in its separate units, and as a whole, by the great principle of the conservation of energy.
The Energy System of Matter|James Weir
Beyond the railway bridge, keep straight along the valley of the Meuse which is dominated on the right by Belleville Hill.
Verdun Argonne-Metz 1914-1918|Anonymous
He dominated, she submitted; he was strong, she was weak; he was big, she was small.
Ainslee's, Vol. 15, No. 6, July 1905|Various
He is not good, it is true, but that is because he is dominated by his lower self.
A Son of Perdition|Fergus Hume
Mr Bowater, on the other hand, had not yet adopted the wild and rigid stare which dominated the small parlour.
Memoirs of a Midget|Walter de la Mare

British Dictionary definitions for dominated

dominate

/ (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)

Derived Forms

dominating, adjectivedominatingly, adverbdominative, adjectivedominator, noun

Word Origin for dominate

C17: from Latin dominārī to be lord over, from dominus lord

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

dominate

verb (used with object), dom·i·nat·ed, dom·i·nat·ing.

verb (used without object), dom·i·nat·ed, dom·i·nat·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of dominate

Related forms

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for dominated

British Dictionary definitions for dominated

dominate

verb

Derived Forms

Word Origin for dominate