dome

1 of 2

noun

1
archaic : a stately building : mansion
2
: a large hemispherical roof or ceiling
3
: a natural formation or structure that resembles the dome or cupola of a building
4
: a form of crystal composed of planes parallel to a lateral axis that meet above in a horizontal edge like a roof
5
: an upward fold in rock whose sides dip uniformly in all directions
6
: a roofed sports stadium
7
: a person's head
domal adjective

dome

2 of 2

verb

domed; doming

transitive verb

1
: to cover with a dome
2
: to form into a dome

intransitive verb

: to swell upward or outward like a dome

Examples of dome in a Sentence

Noun the dome of the Capitol building The team's new stadium is a dome.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Try the look for summer in this short-sleeve version, which has golden dome buttons down the front and ribbed trim at the crew neckline, cuffs, and hem. Jamie Allison Sanders, People.com, 12 June 2025 In one of the final scenes of the two-episode arc, which concluded in March, surgical resident Ben Warren (Jason George) says the hospital needs an emergency plan for heat domes. Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
Verb
Another dramatic angle of the park is found at Bar Helios on the top floor, where there’s an indoor, domed bar with views of both sides of the building. Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 May 2025 The kitchen is a row of glistening steel vats, domed tops raised like permers at hair salons, set with ladles the size of human heads. Jessi Jezewska Stevens, The Dial, 24 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dome

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, Italian, & Latin; French dôme dome, cathedral, from Italian duomo cathedral, from Medieval Latin domus church, from Latin, house; akin to Greek domos house, Sanskrit dam

First Known Use

Noun

1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1876, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dome was in 1513

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dome. Accessed 24 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

dome

1 of 2 noun
1
: a large rounded roof or ceiling shaped like half of a ball
2
: a structure or natural formation that resembles the dome of a building
rock domes
3
: a roofed sports stadium

dome

2 of 2 verb
domed; doming
1
: to cover with or as if with a dome
2
: to form into or swell upward or outward like a dome
Etymology

Noun

from French dôme "mansion, cathedral" and Italian duomo "cathedral" and Latin domus "church," from earlier Latin domus "house" — related to domestic, domicile

Medical Definition

dome

noun
: a rounded-arch element in the wave tracing in an electroencephalogram
the spike and dome pattern characteristic of absence seizures

More from Merriam-Webster on dome

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