realm
Americannoun
-
realms
plural
-
a royal domain; kingdom.
the realm of England.
-
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:
That would only happen as part of “the collapse of the State Budget and the economy as a whole,” a scenario thought completely beyond the realm of possibility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2026
"When it is established, incitement to hatred does not fall within the realm of intellectual debate. It is now for the courts to assess the matter, while respecting the presumption of innocence."
From Barron's ● Nov. 10, 2026
Now, what once seemed limited to the realm of fiction has happened IRL too.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026
But he argued that these views had been in the public realm for a long time, including when he was last allowed into the UK to deliver a talk in May.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
He had not said the realm of Pain.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
"There's not many realms in life where you find out your fate and it can be very difficult information to process," she says.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
As the show and the character grew in popularity, the choice was made to take the Crypt Keeper out of the Crypt and into the many realms of Kassir’s talents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
It was while holding a similar job at Dover College that his resume moved into the realms of fantasy.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 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
The sun’s frail light no longer broke the canopy, and in the deepening shadows, the faint glow of the four realms was beginning to appear.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
