realm
Americannoun
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realms
plural
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a royal domain; kingdom.
the realm of England.
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the region, sphere, or domain within which anything occurs, prevails, or dominates.
the realm of dreams.
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the special province or field of something or someone.
the realm of physics; facts within the realm of political scientists.
noun
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a royal domain; kingdom (now chiefly in such phrases as Peer of the Realm )
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a field of interest, study, etc
the realm of the occult
Synonym Usage
See kingdom.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of realm
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English realme, reaume, Old French reialme, from Latin regimen “guidance, direction, rule,” influenced by Old French reial “royal” ( see origin at royal)
Explanation
A realm is an area that is ruled by something. If you are a controlling cook who doesn’t like anyone to do anything else in the kitchen, then the kitchen is your realm. Realm comes from the French for kingdom, but since there aren’t so many kings or queens left in the world, you’ll more often find it referring to non-royal spheres. That could be the sphere of a special kind of knowledge, like the realm of biology, or the political realm. Or it could be an area dominated by some group. Little Italy was famously the realm of the mafia; Hollywood is the realm of film stars.
Vocabulary lists containing realm
Vocabulary from "Stop Expecting Games to Build Empathy" by Julie Muncy
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
The purchase marks a triumph in the sports realm for Iger, whose strategic moves and bold acquisitions made Disney the envy of the entertainment world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Food writing has been dismissed as frivolous or shallow — as if writing about restaurants somehow exists outside the realm of “real” journalism.
From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026
A plot turn involving an underground realm that’s accessible by a local cave recalls the supernatural aspects of Mr. Mason’s 2023 novel, “North Woods.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The approach, once just the realm of professional matchmakers, is an offshoot of a broader cultural obsession with tracking just about everything, says Skyler Wang, an assistant sociology professor at McGill University.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Particle physicists look at the subatomic realm with particle accelerators: they use magnetic fields or other means to get tiny particles moving very fast; when these particles collide with one another, they spit off fragments.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
We look to be back in the realms of a two-horse race and the two horses have experienced jockeys now, not two Old Firm apprentices like Russell Martin and Wilfried Nancy.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Miyazaki’s tales also tend to immerse us in supernatural domains existing parallel to our own, as if reality masks more ethereal, life-affirming realms.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
They open onto mystical realms, as if they were portals and dreamscapes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
When asked about future “Hell’s Kitchen” projects — including a film adaptation — Keys laughed and said she “can’t talk too much,” but that the team is exploring various realms of possibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
Even the light rain cannot push it down into the realms of despair.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
