What does "predominate" mean?

To dominate, have control, or succeed by superior numbers or size.

What is a synonym for "predominate"?

Common synonyms include: preponderate, prevail, prevail, ascendant, be in, be in force.

Pronounced //pɹɪˈdɒmɪneɪt//.

//pɹɪˈdɒmɪneɪt// adj, verb

adj, verb ·Moderate ·College level

Verb

1
To dominate, have control, or succeed by superior numbers or size. intransitive
"With economic segregation in the United States worsening, there is likely to be a growing number of school districts where poor children, and poor parents, predominate."
2
be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance wordnet
3
To be prominent; to loom large; to be the chief component of a whole. intransitive
"All in her mind was confusion; still the paramount sense that predominated over all others, was the bitter conviction of his unworthiness."
4
appear very large or occupy a commanding position wordnet
5
To dominate or hold power over, especially through numerical advantage; to outweigh. transitive

Adjective

1
Predominant. proscribed, sometimes
"Eradication of disorder may indirectly reduce crime by stabilizing neighborhoods, but the direct link as formulated by proponents was not the predominate one in our study."

Adjective

"I can't imagine that such transactions would predominate in a truly free market."

From Latin praedominātus, past participle of praedominor. By surface analysis, pre- + dominate.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.