noun
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archaic a gentleman; lord: used in the plural as a form of address
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an obsolete word for lordling
Etymology
Origin of lording
1150–1200; Middle English; Old English hlāfording prince, literally, offspring of a lord, equivalent to hlāford lord + -ing -ing 3
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.
Lumbergh, in his two-toned buttoned-down shirt and with his ever-present coffee mug, drooling a series of "mmmkays" and "yeeeahs," is every middle manager masking their incompetence while lording their authority over deflated subordinates.
From Salon • Mar. 1, 2024
"He's a gentleman, he is an old-class gentleman, and generous with his time, not lording it around."
From BBC • Oct. 22, 2023
There’s the formidable Castle of the Counts, the 15th-century Great Butchers’ Hall, the UNESCO-listed belfry lording over it all.
From Washington Post • Sep. 23, 2022
“He has spent decades lording his power over his victims and the community by demonstrating how unbound by legal limits he feels,” prosecutors wrote.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 19, 2022
At first goods and damage was paid for by Pimple; but soon they began lording it around and taking what they wanted.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
