fiefdom
Americannoun
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the estate or domain of a feudal lord.
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Informal. anything, as an organization or real estate, owned or controlled by one dominant person or group.
noun
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(in feudal Europe) the property owned by a lord
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an area over which a person or organization exerts authority or influence
Etymology
Origin of fiefdom
Vocabulary lists containing fiefdom
Medieval Europe - Middle School
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Medieval Europe - High School
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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.
Many accounts of the Murdaugh family’s sordid history mention that the five-county South Carolina district doubling as their fiefdom was nicknamed Murdaugh Country.
From Salon • Oct. 16, 2025
Le Pen retreated to a party fiefdom in southern France, Beaucaire, and held a small march there.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2023
If the IRA rebate rollout is done right—with, for example, strong tenant protections, renter access, and community outreach—it offers the potential to give renters more control over the historically inaccessible and expensive fiefdom of HVAC.
From Slate • Aug. 12, 2023
That popularity is changing the reception Ice and her bicycling volunteers are getting in Bang Bon, traditionally the fiefdom of a powerful family from a rival party.
From BBC • May 7, 2023
At the head of the table sits Mr. McCracken, who glowers at everyone as if he were a lord presiding over his fiefdom.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
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.
