to dominate
Loading your saved state.
to dominate
To control a person, group, or thing, to be superior, or to have the greatest influence.
Die Heimmannschaft dominierte das Spiel von der ersten Minute an.
The home team dominated the game from the very first minute.
The verb 'dominieren' (to dominate) belongs to a word family with the adjective 'dominant' (dominant/controlling) and the noun 'die Dominanz' (dominance/superiority). All the words share the basic meaning of control and influence.
Er versucht immer, in Gesprächen dominant zu sein.
He always tries to be dominant in conversations.
'Dominieren' (to dominate) is a transitive verb that requires an accusative object. You ask: Whom or what does someone/something dominate?
Die erfahrenen Spieler dominieren die jungen Talente.
The experienced players dominate the young talents.
In the meaning 'to be superior', 'dominieren' (to dominate) is often combined with abstract nouns or competitive situations: 'ein Spiel dominieren' (to dominate a game), 'eine Debatte dominieren' (to dominate a debate), or 'den Markt dominieren' (to dominate the market).
Eine große Firma dominiert den gesamten Markt für diese Produkte.
A large company dominates the entire market for these products.
You can recognize this meaning by the fact that the subject is a large, immovable object (e.g., a building, a mountain) and the object is a place or landscape.
Der hohe Kirchturm dominiert das Bild der kleinen Stadt.
The tall church tower dominates the image of the small town.
pants / trousers
'die Hosen anhaben' and 'dominieren' can both mean that someone has the greatest influence. However, 'die Hosen anhaben' is a fixed, colloquial expression and is often said about relationships, families, or small groups. It sounds rather casual and sometimes joking. 'dominieren' is more neutral and stronger. You use it when someone or something is clearly superior or strongly controls a situation, for example in sports, in a discussion, or in a group. In short: 'die Hosen anhaben' sounds everyday and figurative, while 'dominieren' sounds more direct and often more serious.
Unsere Mannschaft dominiert das Spiel, weil sie viel schneller ist.
Our team is dominating the game because it is much faster.
In der kleinen Firma hat nicht der Chef, sondern seine Assistentin die Hosen an.
In the small company, it is not the boss but his assistant who wears the pants.