Dominant means having the most power, influence, or importance in a situation. A dominant player in basketball might control the game, scoring most points and directing the team's strategy. The dominant tree in a forest rises highest, catching the most sunlight and shaping the growth of everything around it.

In science, dominant describes traits that show up even when inherited from just one parent. If you have one parent with brown eyes and one with blue eyes, brown is the dominant trait, so you'll likely have brown eyes. Blue eyes are recessive, meaning you'd need to inherit that trait from both parents for it to appear.

In nature, a dominant animal in a group has priority access to food and may make important decisions for the pack or herd. Among wolves, the dominant pair leads the pack on hunts and chooses where to den.

The word can describe anything that stands out as strongest or most noticeable: the dominant flavor in a dish, the dominant theme in a story, or the dominant color in a painting. When something is dominant, it rises above competing alternatives and takes the leading role.