dominion
Americannoun
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the power or right of governing and controlling; sovereign authority.
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rule; control; domination.
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a territory, usually of considerable size, in which a single rulership holds sway.
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lands or domains subject to sovereignty or control.
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Government. a territory constituting a self-governing commonwealth and being one of a number of such territories united in a community of nations, or empire: formerly applied to self-governing divisions of the British Empire, as Canada and New Zealand.
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Theology. dominions, domination.
noun
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rule; authority
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the land governed by one ruler or government
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sphere of influence; area of control
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a name formerly applied to self-governing divisions of the British Empire
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New Zealand
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law a less common word for dominium
Other Word Forms
- interdominion adjective
- self-dominion noun
Etymology
Origin of dominion
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin dominiōn- (unrecorded), stem of dominiō (unrecorded) “lordship,” from Latin domin(ium) dominium + -iō -ion
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.
The way Pope Leo saw it, powers were seeking to impose dominion through arms and undermining the taboo since World War II on changing borders by force.
The Commodity Exchange Act grants regulatory dominion over event contracts sold on prediction markets to the U.S.
From Barron's
“Two, I do not possess dominion over you. To you, my darling Senders, I provide advice purely on a take-it-or-leave-it basis.”
From Literature
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And that dominion over the means of app distribution rankles other tech heavyweights who are trying to find ways to control their own destiny, including Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman and Elon Musk.
As new territories were brought into the empire by alliance or conquest, they were added to the network, facilitating communication, public works and military movements, and providing a potent reminder of Inca dominion.
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.