kingdom

American  

[king-duhm] / ˈkɪŋ dəm /

noun

kingdoms plural

1. a state or government having a king or queen as its head.

2. anything conceived as constituting a realm or sphere of independent action or control.

   the kingdom of thought.

   Synonyms:

   domain, empire, dominion

3. a realm or province of nature, especially one of the three broad divisions of natural objects.

   the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms.

4. Biology. a taxonomic category of the second highest rank, just below domain: in a traditional five-kingdom classification scheme, separate kingdoms are assigned to animals (Animalia), plants (Plantae), fungi (Fungi), protozoa and eukaryotic algae (Protista), and bacteria (Monera).

5. the spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ.

6. the domain over which the spiritual sovereignty of God or Christ extends, whether in heaven or on earth.

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kingdom British  

/ ˈkɪŋdəm /

noun

1. a territory, state, people, or community ruled or reigned over by a king or queen

2. any of the three groups into which natural objects may be divided: the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms

3. biology any of the major categories into which living organisms of the domain Eukarya are classified. Modern systems recognize four kingdoms: Protoctista (algae, protozoans, etc), Fungi , Plantae , and Animalia See also domain

4. theol the eternal sovereignty of God

5. an area of activity, esp mental activity, considered as being the province of something specified

   the kingdom of the mind

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kingdom Scientific  

/ kĭng′dəm /

1. The highest classification into which living organisms are grouped in Linnean taxonomy, ranking above a phylum. One widely accepted system of classification divides life into five kingdoms: prokaryotes, protists, fungi, plants, and animals.

2. See Table at taxonomy

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kingdom Cultural  

1. In biology, the largest of the divisions of living things. The best-known kingdoms are those of the plants and animals. Modern biologists recognize three additional kingdoms: Monera (or Prokaryotae) (for example, bacteria and blue-green algae), Protoctista (for example, red algae, slime molds, and amoebas and other protozoa), and fungi. (See Linnean classification.)

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Synonym Usage

Kingdom, monarchy, realm refer to the state or domain ruled by a king or queen. A kingdom is a governmental unit ruled by a king or queen: the kingdom of Norway. A monarchy is primarily a form of government in which a single person is sovereign; it is also the type of power exercised by the monarch: This kingdom is not an absolute monarchy. A realm is the domain, including the subjects, over which the king has jurisdiction; figuratively, a sphere of power or influence: the laws of the realm.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underkingdom
  noun
• kingdomless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• kingdoms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kingdom

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English cyningdōm; see origin at king, -dom

Explanation

A kingdom is a territory or group of people ruled by the same monarch. You probably know the story of the prince who searched the kingdom to find the girl who left her glass slipper at the ball. A kingdom is a place — either literal or imagined — where someone or something reigns. A queen rules over her kingdom, which is land and the people who live on it, while a certain pop singer has a kingdom of young fans. In "the kingdom of the mind," creativity and imagination — not kings or queens — rule. In biology, a kingdom is a grouping of like organisms. For example, a dog is a member of the animal kingdom.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kingdom kingdoms

In my time as U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, I would often find myself exploring Riyadh, marveling at the stunning changes since I first visited the kingdom in 2011.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

The trip also resulted in a series of agreements and the signing of an "enhanced exceptional partnership" between the kingdom and France.

From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026

After 20 years away — 10 at war, 10 adrift — Odysseus is anxious to reclaim his kingdom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

No, these were good old-fashioned pirates, sponsored by the Barbary states: the kingdom of Morocco was independent, while Algiers, Tripoli and Tunis owed a loose allegiance to the Ottoman Empire.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

He inched himself on his bottom, like a shy crab, toward the tip-top of the slope, to the highest spot, where he sat, washed in sunlight, surveying the kingdom that was Snowberger’s.

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

Roman power has collapsed in Britain, which is now a patchwork of minor kingdoms where all politics is local and low-level warfare is constant.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

Thriving thanks to their strategic geographical position, strong state backing and leading carriers, huge air hubs in the Gulf oil kingdoms have been shaken by the conflict over Iran.

From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026

It didn’t necessarily have to be the conversation about the kingdoms, but just Egg, in his way, making sure that Dunk never feels like he knows anything.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 22, 2026

Nineteen countries showed up in Davos for the Board's inauguration from all corners of the compass - from Argentina to Azerbaijan, from former Soviet republics to Gulf kingdoms.

From BBC ● Jan. 22, 2026

And so the far-off kingdoms of Europe and Russia tumbled into the second Great War.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri