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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

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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. )

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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

As host of ‘The Traitors,’ Cumming loves to dress up and play lord of the castle, but in Russell T Davies’ limited series, his latest dramatic role, he aims to shake people up.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Xenophon became in essence a mercenary lord, somewhat like the condottieri of Renaissance Italy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

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

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

But good lord, they are bad at this.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

The former lord of Ashton Place seemed reduced to a muttering simpleton.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Lord Heseltine says it was originally assumed that councils would use sale proceeds to support new housing.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Its sweeping landscapes and fantastical imagery reminded him of The Lord of the Rings and The Lion King.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

The Season 2 finale of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” has confirmed what many fans suspected all along about the Stranger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

"It's the largest production in the history of Indian cinema," said Malhotra, who has branded it India's "Star Wars" or "Lord of the Rings".

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

“War Lord Tano, there must be some mistake. I’m not Asase Yaa,” I say.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

The former dinner lady's campaign brought her into contact with prime ministers, lords, and Hollywood actor Hugh Grant's Hacked Off campaign.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

"This my lords is cutting-edge technology and it will enable me to contribute to debates in my own, once-clear voice before it began to deteriorate due to my disability," the 67-year-old told the chamber.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

Over its 11 seasons, an assortment of C-suite lords and ladies have infiltrated the ranks of their lowest-rung laborers to appreciate how hard they grind for their bread.

From Salon ● Feb. 23, 2026

Rich land is scarce in Kerm, and a Domain’s pride is in the length of its borders, and the lords of Kerm Land are proud men and umbrageous men, casting black shadows.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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