predominate
Americanverb (used without object)
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to be the stronger or leading element or force.
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to have numerical superiority or advantage.
The radicals predominate in the new legislature.
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to surpass others in authority or influence; be preeminent.
He predominated in the political scene.
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to have or exert controlling power (often followed byover ).
Good sense predominated over the impulse to fight.
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to appear more noticeable or imposing than something else.
Blues and greens predominated in the painting.
verb (used with object)
verb
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to have power, influence, or control
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(intr) to prevail or preponderate
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rare (tr) to dominate or have control over
adjective
Other Word Forms
- predominately adverb
- predominatingly adverb
- predomination noun
- predominator noun
Etymology
Origin of predominate
1585–95; < Medieval Latin praedominātus, past participle of praedominārī to predominate. See pre-, dominate
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.
The blues predominate, especially on the Village set, which opens with a 15-minute workout titled “Jump Up and Down—Fast.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 1, 2026
It's deliberately very soft, and the idea behind introducing it was to try to generate more pit stops, and force teams away from the one-stop strategies that predominate in F1 at the moment.
From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025
The network effect has made RealPage the dominant player in the market at large, and especially so in cities and neighborhoods where big landlords predominate.
From Slate • Sep. 10, 2024
"Owing to its high mutation rate, HIV exhibits remarkable genetic diversity, resulting in different viral subtypes; some of which predominate in particular regions of the globe," said Mann.
From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2024
Gradually, however, like Jekyll and Hyde, one personality began to predominate.
From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane
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.
