kingdom

noun

king·​dom ˈkiŋ-dəm 

1

: a politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen

2

often capitalized

a

: the eternal kingship of God

b

: the realm in which God's will is fulfilled

3

a

: a realm or region in which something is dominant

a cattle kingdom

b

: an area or sphere in which one holds a preeminent position

The office was his own private kingdom.

4

a

: one of the three primary divisions into which natural objects are commonly classified compare animal kingdom, mineral kingdom, plant kingdom

b

: a major category (such as Plantae or Protista) in biological taxonomy that ranks above the phylum and below the domain

5

archaic : kingship

Synonyms

• area
• arena
• bailiwick
• barony
• business
• circle
• demesne
• department
• discipline
• domain
• element
• fief
• fiefdom
• field
• firmament
• front
• game
• line
• precinct
• province
• realm
• specialty
• sphere
• terrain
• walk

Examples of kingdom in a Sentence

After Queen Mary I died, her half sister Elizabeth ruled the kingdom.

a studio head who was once the undisputed ruler of the kingdom of Hollywood

Recent Examples on the Web

Gondolin was the last of the great elven kingdoms of Middle-earth. —Erik Kain, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024

Fortunately, thousands of energetic citizen scientists like you can help explore this diverse and fascinating kingdom of organisms, thanks to projects like FUNDIS, Mushroom Observer and others featured in this newsletter. —Bob Hirshon, Discover Magazine, 17 Oct. 2024

The Fukushima countryside was no longer a fruit kingdom, and its farmers’ livelihoods were in tatters. —Kate Graham-Shaw, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2024

The image of the king leaping into the void, and sacrificing himself to buy the kingdom more time and put the genie back in the bottle, that was an image that came in the very first writer’s room five years ago in Santa Monica. —Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing kingdom

• animal kingdom
• kingdom come
• mineral kingdom
• plant kingdom
• to kingdom come

Kids Definition

kingdom

noun

king·​dom ˈkiŋ-dəm 

1

: a country whose ruler is a king or queen

2

: a region in which something or someone has very strong influence

the cotton kingdom

3

a

: one of the three primary divisions into which natural objects are classified compare animal kingdom, mineral kingdom, plant kingdom

b

: a major category in the scientific classification of living things that ranks above the phylum and below the domain

Medical Definition

kingdom

noun

king·​dom ˈkiŋ-dəm 

1

: any of the three primary divisions into which natural objects are grouped see animal kingdom, mineral kingdom, plant kingdom

2

: a major category (as Protista) in biological taxonomy that ranks above the phylum and below the domain