as in conquest
the act or process of bringing someone or something under one's control
the gradual dominating of Europe by a few ruling families
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in domineering
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in conquering
to bring under one's control by force of arms
by 1941 Hitler had dominated much of Europe
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in overlooking
to look down on
the ruined fortress dominates the town
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of dominating
Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Ben Brown’s pitching line didn’t necessarily reflect a dominating outing — one run on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in five innings — but his start Saturday night against the Giants was one of his best of the season.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026
So is indie rock with maybe-a-psy-op-but-who-cares band Geese dominating summer concert sales.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 3 June 2026
Crosby helped invent the modern multimedia entertainer, dominating radio, records, film, and later television with a reach almost unimaginable without social media.
—Michelle Duncan, Architectural Digest, 2 June 2026
Díaz’s dominating force in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations won him the tournament’s golden boot and secured Morocco’s place in the final.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 1 June 2026
Staton settled into his dominating ways, striking out Aidan Aguayo and Cashel Dugger as UCLA left three runners – of a total 10 – on the bases in the fifth inning.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 1 June 2026
Gore scattered two more hits en route to his fourth win of the year — and second dominating performance against the Royals.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026
The recent run of success has been led by a dominating pitching staff, especially the bullpen, with an erratic offense only starting to come alive of late.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Jayson Stark, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Miami Herald, 23 June 2026
Opening in over 300 locations, the Pixar feature delivered the biggest opening weekend in the history of the franchise for the territory, dominating the theatrical marketplace with 72% of all ticket sales across the three-day weekend.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 June 2026
For all this to work, NextEra and Dominion need to excel in the final way that utilities make profits – dominating the regulatory arena.
—Conor Harrison, Fortune, 23 June 2026
Fashion insiders are embracing unexpected pairings — think baby blue with red or pink with red — that tap into the maximalist mood dominating right now.
—Lauren Fisher, Footwear News, 23 June 2026
The greens gummies reviews flooding brand websites and Amazon listings in 2026 paint a mixed picture, with five names dominating the conversation.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 June 2026
The American men advanced to the knockout round after dominating Australia 2-0 on Friday (following a dismantling of Paraguay in the opening match).
—Russell Lewis, NPR, 22 June 2026
Rather than maximalist manicures, naked nail trends are dominating the discover feed.
—Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 22 June 2026
While new wave and punk were dominating Manhattan clubs in the ’70s, hip-hop was starting in the Bronx.
—Kyle Eustice, SPIN, 22 June 2026
Noun
Testimony to this, kids under 12 only represented 4% of the audience for Masters of the Universe during its opening weekend according to Deadline, with the over 35 age group dominating at 57% and the over 45s, who grew up on the original cartoon, coming to 36%.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Ben Brown’s pitching line didn’t necessarily reflect a dominating outing — one run on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in five innings — but his start Saturday night against the Giants was one of his best of the season.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2026
So is indie rock with maybe-a-psy-op-but-who-cares band Geese dominating summer concert sales.
—Madeline Hirsch, InStyle, 3 June 2026
Crosby helped invent the modern multimedia entertainer, dominating radio, records, film, and later television with a reach almost unimaginable without social media.
—Michelle Duncan, Architectural Digest, 2 June 2026
Díaz’s dominating force in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations won him the tournament’s golden boot and secured Morocco’s place in the final.
—Tim Rohan, NBC news, 1 June 2026
Staton settled into his dominating ways, striking out Aidan Aguayo and Cashel Dugger as UCLA left three runners – of a total 10 – on the bases in the fifth inning.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 1 June 2026
Gore scattered two more hits en route to his fourth win of the year — and second dominating performance against the Royals.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026
The recent run of success has been led by a dominating pitching staff, especially the bullpen, with an erratic offense only starting to come alive of late.
—Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 27 May 2026
Adjective
You’re supposed to win when that happens … except that the two Dodgers starters, Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell, were equally dominating.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
Verb
Giannis is a rim warrior who likes to work in close, old-school, dominating the paint like Sherwin-Williams.
—Miami Herald, 23 June 2026
Opening in over 300 locations, the Pixar feature delivered the biggest opening weekend in the history of the franchise for the territory, dominating the theatrical marketplace with 72% of all ticket sales across the three-day weekend.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 23 June 2026
For all this to work, NextEra and Dominion need to excel in the final way that utilities make profits – dominating the regulatory arena.
—Conor Harrison, Fortune, 23 June 2026
Fashion insiders are embracing unexpected pairings — think baby blue with red or pink with red — that tap into the maximalist mood dominating right now.
—Lauren Fisher, Footwear News, 23 June 2026
The greens gummies reviews flooding brand websites and Amazon listings in 2026 paint a mixed picture, with five names dominating the conversation.
—Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 June 2026
The American men advanced to the knockout round after dominating Australia 2-0 on Friday (following a dismantling of Paraguay in the opening match).
—Russell Lewis, NPR, 22 June 2026
Rather than maximalist manicures, naked nail trends are dominating the discover feed.
—Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 22 June 2026
While new wave and punk were dominating Manhattan clubs in the ’70s, hip-hop was starting in the Bronx.
—Kyle Eustice, SPIN, 22 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dominating
Noun
-
To that point, human history was a tale of conquest and caste and rigid hierarchies, a world where the strong dominated the weak, where power and wealth and status flowed through lineage and the many were ruled by the few.—
Hilary Gowins,
Chicago Tribune,
20 June 2026
-
Related Stories What these producers share is a conviction that the Canaries’ historical position — as a staging post for conquest, migration and ecological transformation — generates stories with the kind of cross-cultural resonance that buyers in Japan, West Asia and Latin America will recognize.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
Clark was at the center of Indiana’s dominant outing, as the two-time All-Star delivered a variety of highlight-reel passes to lead the Fever to their fourth straight win and first victory over the Tempo, who are in their inaugural season.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
-
The lofty valuation for the company that has become dominant in satellites through its Starlink service and reusable rockets has raised questions about its ambitious growth plans.—
Kai Nicol-Schwarz,
CNBC,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Musk’s company has inked lucrative AI deals with Anthropic and Google and plans to be the domineering firm behind orbital data centers, which SpaceX has said could be deployed as early as 2028.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
Many figures within evangelicalism have promoted an aggressive, domineering, even abusive view of manhood—affixing to it, as Du Mez argues, the label biblical.—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Her past several albums did not reach the same heights as her biggest releases, and the story around Perry shifted from world-conquering hitmaker to a star on the downswing – one whose latest singles and albums all underperformed, and things weren’t looking up.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
-
This was Maserati‘s all-conquering factory race car of the mid-1950s and, unquestionably, one of the most beautiful ever built.—
Howard Walker,
Robb Report,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
The open mid-modern tropical common area is equipped with two communal tables overlooking a tower of bamboo and an open kitchen where Ayurvedic meals are prepared, including daily teas made by an in-house herbalist.—
Sandra Guzmán,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
-
His dream family apartment overlooking the Mediterranean Sea was a heap of rubble and shattered glass.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Over the past 18 months, Blue Origin finally seemed to be gaining momentum, getting closer to reliably launching a gigantic rocket, called New Glenn, that could lift greater payloads and potentially challenge SpaceX’s domination of the sector.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
16 June 2026
-
The Spanish domination of the game was complete – on paper.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
Adjective
-
His father, Manuel Cepeda, was a prominent figure in the Colombian Communist Party, and was assassinated in 1994 during a particularly bloody era in Colombia's internal conflict.—
David Unsworth,
FOXNews.com,
23 June 2026
-
The chatbot’s responses include citations and prominent links to news outlets.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
Adjective
-
While the shifter is tiny and driver-assistance systems can be overbearing, the S3 ultimately delivers a fun, polished, and fast luxury performance.—
Josh Max,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
Across the short films, Early plays, among other roles, a smiling, fiendish mall pop act; the shy, offbeat child of an overbearing stage mom; and an extra in a makeup chair whose instruments, his face and his voice, are progressively hampered by prosthetics.—
Lauren Michele Jackson,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dominating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dominating. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
