overlord

American  

[oh-ver-lawrd] / ˈoʊ vərˌlɔrd /

noun

1. a person who is lord over another or over other lords.

   to obey the will of one's sovereign and overlord.

2. a person of great influence, authority, power, or the like.

   the overlords of industry.

---

verb (used with object)

1. to rule or govern arbitrarily or tyrannically; domineer.

overlord British  

/ ˈəʊvəˌlɔːd /

noun

1. a supreme lord or master

---

Other Word Forms

• overlordship
  noun

Etymology

Origin of overlord

Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200; see origin at over-, lord

Example Sentences

If not wanting my robot assistant/future overlord to have an image tool makes me an A.I. elitist, as Altman implies, then I will proudly fit myself for a monocle.

From Slate • Feb. 10, 2026

"I think Your Idol is such a banger," says Kang about song the Saja Boys sing while feeding the souls of their audience to the evil overlord Gwi-Ma.

From BBC • Oct. 11, 2025

She says this with a sense of awe, marveling at how much closer Krystle will be to this wonderful, romantic overlord.

From Salon • Jun. 5, 2025

First Paul falls in love with Chani, a Fremen warrior who sees the messiah prophecy as overlord propaganda, which naturally threatens to back-burner his mom.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2024

Once again the newly self-titled overlord of crime had outsmarted a couple of mere animals.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques