dominion

American  

[duh-min-yuhn] / dəˈmɪn yən /

noun

1. the power or right of governing and controlling; sovereign authority.

2. rule; control; domination.

3. a territory, usually of considerable size, in which a single rulership holds sway.

4. lands or domains subject to sovereignty or control.

5. 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.

6. Theology. dominions, domination.

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dominion British  

/ dəˈmɪnjən /

noun

1. rule; authority

2. the land governed by one ruler or government

3. sphere of influence; area of control

4. a name formerly applied to self-governing divisions of the British Empire

5. New Zealand

6. law a less common word for dominium

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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

Explanation

When you are in charge of something or rule it, you have dominion over it. The most famous use of the word occurs in the Christian Bible, when God grants people dominion over other animals. If you know the word domination, then you won't be surprised that dominion also has to do with a type of ruling over others. This is an old-fashioned and Biblical-sounding word for having power. A king has dominion over his kingdom. You'd never say the President has dominion, because we live in a democracy. Dominion implies more power than that — even absolute power. A dominion can also be an area or territory controlled by a larger country or state.

Example Sentences

Now the head coach at Old Dominion, the 51-year-old Milton-Jones was inducted into the women’s basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 29, 2026

After a downturn that had persisted for the past three years, executives from trucking firms like Old Dominion and J.B.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

To gather the data, the team relied on a new radio telescope at the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory in B.C., a National Research Council Canada facility.

From Science Daily • Feb. 24, 2026

He left Old Dominion University in Virginia before completing his degree to trade sports full-time for a sportsbook.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

A little later there’s the Dominion Observatory Official Time Signal: first a series of outer space beeps, then silence, then a long dash.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood