overlord

[ oh-ver-lawrd ]
See synonyms for overlord on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who is lord over another or over other lords: to obey the will of one's sovereign and overlord.

  2. a person of great influence, authority, power, or the like: the overlords of industry.

verb (used with object)
  1. to rule or govern arbitrarily or tyrannically; domineer.

Origin of overlord

1
Middle English word dating back to 1150–1200; see origin at over-, lord

Other words from overlord

  • o·ver·lord·ship, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use overlord in a sentence

  • In a way, without vexing himself with the problem, he accepted their over-lordship of the world as dual.

    Jerry of the Islands | Jack London
  • Ensisheim was the seat of the Habsburg over-lordship in the district (not to be confounded with the imperial power).

  • Or possibly they think, from these his leavings, to learn something significant of man's mysterious over-lordship.

    Hoof and Claw | Charles G. D. Roberts
  • For the rest, both the barons and cities of Poitou acknowledged the over-lordship of their English count.

  • The payment of this tribute was the formal acknowledgment of the emperor's over-lordship.

British Dictionary definitions for overlord

overlord

/ (ˈəʊvəˌlɔːd) /


noun
  1. a supreme lord or master

Derived forms of overlord

  • overlordship, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012