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• lord
  lord

  noun

  a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler.
• Lord
  Lord

  noun

  a title given to God or Jesus Christ

lord

American  

[lawrd] / lɔrd /

noun

• lords
  plural

1. a person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler.

2. a person who exercises authority from property rights; an owner of land, houses, etc.

3. a person who is a leader or has great influence in a chosen profession.

   the great lords of banking.

4. a feudal superior; the proprietor of a manor.

5. a titled nobleman or peer; a person whose ordinary appellation contains by courtesy the title Lord or some higher title.

6. Lords, the Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal comprising the House of Lords

7. Lord, (in Britain)

   1. the title of certain high officials (used with some other title, name, or the like).

      Lord Mayor of London.

   2. the formally polite title of a bishop.

      Lord Bishop of Durham.

   3. the title informally substituted for Marquis, Earl, Viscount, etc., as in the use of Lord Kitchener for Earl Kitchener.

8. Lord, the Supreme Being; God.

9. Christianity. Lord, the Savior, Jesus Christ.

10. Astrology. a planet having dominating influence.

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interjection

1. Often Lord (used in exclamatory phrases to express surprise, elation, etc.).

   Lord, what a beautiful day!

idioms

1. lord it, to assume airs of importance and authority; behave arrogantly or dictatorially; domineer.

   to lord it over the menial workers.

lord ¹ British  

/ lɔːd /

noun

1. a person who has power or authority over others, such as a monarch or master

2. a male member of the nobility, esp in Britain

3. (in medieval Europe) a feudal superior, esp the master of a manor Compare lady

4. a husband considered as head of the household (archaic except in the facetious phrase lord and master )

5. astrology a planet having a dominating influence

6. a respectful form of address used to a judge, bishop, or nobleman

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verb

1. rare (tr) to make a lord of (a person)

2. to act in a superior manner towards (esp in the phrase lord it over )

Lord ² British  

/ lɔːd /

noun

1. a title given to God or Jesus Christ

2. 1. a title given to men of high birth, specifically to an earl, marquess, baron, or viscount

   2. a courtesy title given to the younger sons of a duke or marquess

   3. the ceremonial title of certain high officials or of a bishop or archbishop

      Lord Mayor

      Lord of Appeal

      Law Lord

      Lord Bishop of Durham

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interjection

1. (sometimes not capital) an exclamation of dismay, surprise, etc

   Good Lord!

   Lord only knows!

lord More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing lord

• drunk as a lord

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• lordless
  adjective
• lordlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• lords
  plural

Etymology

Origin of lord

First recorded before 900; Middle English lord, lover(e)d, Old English hlāford, hlāfweard literally, “loaf-keeper”; see loaf ¹, ward; cf. lady ( def. )

Explanation

A lord is powerful person who's in charge, or is a ruler or master. Sometimes tigers are described as the lords of the jungle, because they're the strongest, most ferocious predators that live there. You'll most often see lord describing a man who holds authority or strong influence in a particular area, like a wealthy CEO who's known as a "lord of capitalism," or the head of a large drug-dealing enterprise who's called a "drug lord." Originally, a lord was a landowner during the feudal period in medieval Europe. Even today, a British lord holds an elite title marking him as a baron, earl, or duke.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lord Lord lords

Before Mr. Sinner claimed the title in four sets, a friend texted to say, “good lord this is boring tennis.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

But it feels like after the lord mayor's show.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

He’s been called a thief, a benefactor, a commoner, a lord, a killer and a hero.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

If not for this arch, prickly, but intellectually daring English lord, would Paine have summoned the resources to produce “Common Sense”?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

Perhaps she would wear it to a dinner party at the villa of some great lord or count, perhaps to the palace itself.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

There’s Lord Buckethead, not to be confused with Count Binface.

From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026

Pope Leo XIV was "deeply saddened" and "raises his prayers to the Lord for the prompt recovery of those affected by this tragedy," the Vatican said Tuesday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026

Lord Mayor of Belfast councillor Róis-Máire Donnelly officially brought the fleadh to a close.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

I myself am grateful for the appearance of Lord Ormund if only because Norton is clearly having a blast and his olfactory sensitivity and devotion to aromatherapy add some much needed humor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

Lord Cunningham was probably at his dinner, thinking of the fish that had been cooked for him instead of the ones Sean and I would take.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Julian lords over not one but two swanky adjoining townhouses stuffed with antiques.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

Colombia is also trying to emerge from 50 years of fighting spawned by a complex blend of leftist rebels, paramilitaries and drug lords.

From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026

Cheney even came to relish all the comparisons to dark lords of the “Star Wars” franchise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2025

These lords turned Finlaggan into a power base from where they controlled the Hebrides, Argyll and parts of the north west Highlands.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2025

Then she looks at all the lords and ladies watching her.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black