dominance
noun
dom·i·nance
ˈdä-mə-nən(t)s 
ˈdäm-nən(t)s
1
: the fact or state of being dominant: such as
a
sociology
: controlling, prevailing, or powerful position especially in a social hierarchy (see hierarchy sense 4)
male dominance
political dominance
companies competing for dominance in the market
dominance over their rivals
b
genetics
: the property of one of a pair of alleles or traits that suppresses expression (see expression sense 1b(4)) of the other in the heterozygous condition
c
ecology
: the influence or control over ecological communities exerted by a dominant (see dominant entry 2 sense 2b)
2
biology
: functional (see functional sense 1b) asymmetry between a pair of bodily structures (such as the right and left hands)
right brain dominance
Synonyms
Examples of dominance in a Sentence
although Napoléon had achieved dominance over the European continent, Great Britain still ruled the waves
the professor's dominance in the field of ancient Greek history
Recent Examples on the Web
By the late 1980s, though, the dominance of the laugh track was starting to erode.
—
Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2024
His dominance on the course this year is undeniable, having secured two victories in the last three starts.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
In the span of two days this week, Google parent Alphabet, Facebook parent Meta, and Intel all showed off new AI hardware, part of a growing challenge to Nvidia’s dominance.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
Fine Gael came third in 2020, while Sinn Féin — which has historically called for uniting Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, with the Republic of Ireland — won the popular vote for the first time, upsetting the longstanding dominance of Fine Gael and its traditional rival, Fianna Fáil.
—Megan Specia, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Not even the wife of Taylor Swift’s ex can deny her musical dominance.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2024
With a 3-0 shutout of the White Sox on Saturday, the Royals climbed above .500 for the first time since April 2022, mainly due to their starting pitchers’ dominance.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2024
As Chinese EVs surged to challenge Tesla’s dominance, Musk was tending to his sprawling empire, which includes rocket-maker SpaceX, brain-chip developer Neuralink, and social media giant X, which Musk acquired in 2022.
—Hyunjoo Jin, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
In the regional quarterfinals at Head Stadium in Alvarado on Tuesday, Salado continued its dominance with a 5-1 victory over Benbrook.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 15 Apr. 2024
His dominance on the course this year is undeniable, having secured two victories in the last three starts.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
In the span of two days this week, Google parent Alphabet, Facebook parent Meta, and Intel all showed off new AI hardware, part of a growing challenge to Nvidia’s dominance.
—Laura Bratton, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
Fine Gael came third in 2020, while Sinn Féin — which has historically called for uniting Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, with the Republic of Ireland — won the popular vote for the first time, upsetting the longstanding dominance of Fine Gael and its traditional rival, Fianna Fáil.
—Megan Specia, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Not even the wife of Taylor Swift’s ex can deny her musical dominance.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2024
With a 3-0 shutout of the White Sox on Saturday, the Royals climbed above .500 for the first time since April 2022, mainly due to their starting pitchers’ dominance.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2024
As Chinese EVs surged to challenge Tesla’s dominance, Musk was tending to his sprawling empire, which includes rocket-maker SpaceX, brain-chip developer Neuralink, and social media giant X, which Musk acquired in 2022.
—Hyunjoo Jin, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
In the regional quarterfinals at Head Stadium in Alvarado on Tuesday, Salado continued its dominance with a 5-1 victory over Benbrook.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dominance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
see dominant entry 1
First Known Use
1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing dominance
Dictionary Entries Near dominance
Cite this Entry
“Dominance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dominance. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
dominance
noun
dom·i·nance
ˈdäm-(ə-)nən(t)s
: the fact or state of being dominant: as
a
: the dominant position of an individual in a series of social ranks or levels
b
: the property of one of a pair of alternate forms of a gene or character that prevents or masks expression of the other when both are present in the heterozygous condition
c
: the control or influence over the environment of an ecological community that a dominant has
d
: greater activity and usage of one of a pair of body parts (as the right hand compared to the left hand)
Medical Definition
dominance
noun
dom·i·nance
ˈdäm(-ə)-nən(t)s
: the fact or state of being dominant: as
a
: the relative position of an individual in a social hierarchy compare pecking order
b
: the property of one of a pair of alleles or traits that suppresses expression of the other in the heterozygous condition
c
: functional asymmetry between a pair of bodily structures (as the right and left hands)
More from Merriam-Webster on dominance
Nglish: Translation of dominance for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of dominance for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dominance
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