Dominate

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈdɒm.ɪ.neɪt/

Definitions

1. To have commanding influence or control over others or a situation through superior power, authority, or prominence
2. To exert significant influence or control over others or circumstances through authority, strength, or dominance
3. To hold a position of power or control that affects others or events through superiority or assertiveness

Etymology: "Dominate" comes from Latin "dominor," meaning "to rule" or "have dominion," which itself grows from "dominus," the Latin word for "lord" or "master." The root is the same one behind "domain," "dominion," and "domineering," all of which point to the idea of a household or territory governed by one person's authority. English took the verb directly from the Latin participle "dominātus," so the word arrived with its original sense of ruling intact. Its neighbor "dominant" follows a parallel route from the Latin "domināns," and the two have been mixing ever since. Some English speakers can't tell whether to say "predominate" or "predominant," and the two verbs and adjectives blur for the same reason.

Synonyms: control, rule, govern, oversee, command

Antonyms: submit, yield, surrender, serve, obey