lord over

present singular third person lords over · participle present lording over · participle past lorded over · past lorded over

1. transitiveUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see lord, over: to act as a lord or boss in relation to (someone or something).

   My governess was not allowed there as Mr. H felt every soul required a space to lord over.

   2014, Catherynne M. Valente, Six Gun Snow White, →ISBN

   3 more examples

   But if you think that you can lord over him, then he is going to lord over you — he'll be your lord and master with force.

   1996, Esther Greenberg, Aviva Rappaport, Woman to Woman, →ISBN

   If women are to be subservient to men, as erroneously taught, then the obvious conclusion is that men will lord over women just as they are to lord over the land and the animals and so on.

   2006, Jim Young, Keys to the Door of Truth: Metaphysical Musings of a Born-yet-again, →ISBN

   Ministry is not for the purpose of becoming wealthy and to lord over people, but it is primarily to serve, love, help, and minister to meet the needs of others.

   2013, Hakeem Collins, Born to Prophesy: God's Voice Speaking Through You, →ISBN, page 137

2. To dominate; to have the most prominent position among.

   In that way, the Indo-European language adopted the geographic terms of the Fem-Fertility WV system it came to lord over.

   2010, Charles Brough, The Last Civilization, →ISBN, page 45

   2 more examples

   It sat at the highest point, at the very top of the hill, visible from every marker and tombstone in the cemetery, a brooding Gothic castle-in-miniature that seemed to lord over the lesser sites like the abode of a medieval prince.

   2009, Rick Yancey, The Monstrumologist, →ISBN, page 48

   After about ten minutes, they drove through a residential area where the houses were huge and spread out on mammoth lots, and reminded Lindsey of the mansions that once lorded over old sugar plantations.

   2012, Lisa Renee Jones, Debbi Rawlins, Delicious Do-Over/Breathless Descent, →ISBN

3. To use something as evidence of one's superiority over.

   So at twenty-five years old, I had never tried a single puff of weed. [...] At least I'd always have something to lord over my future children.

   2012, Lisa Scottoline, Francesca Serritella, Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim, →ISBN, page 139

   3 more examples

   If by chance they come across his method [of study], they inevitably use it to lord over common scholars, with the result that others look up to them in awe.

   2009, Philip J. Ivanhoe, On Ethics and History: Essays and Letters of Zhang Xuecheng, →ISBN, page 70

   Sure, I loved her like a sister, but if she was going to deprive me of a glamorous evening with Xavier and not even have the decency to feel bad about it, then I was going to find something to lord over her too.

   2011, Shallon Lester, Exes and Ohs, →ISBN

   Fortunately my son Jamie was charmed to be on the poster at all, and used it to lord over Josh—who was playing what Michael and I were careful to point out was an equally important role, that of Scrooge as a boy.

   2013, Donna Andrews, Duck the Halls: A Meg Langslow Mystery, →ISBN