1
: a politically organized community or major territorial unit having a monarchical form of government headed by a king or queen
2
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
5
archaic
: kingship
Synonyms
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
Not only does Finland share an 833-mile border with Russia, in the 17th and 18th centuries various monarchs of the Russian Empire repeatedly tried to conquer Finland, which was then part of a Swedish kingdom.
—
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
The snake’s name, Trimeresurus lanna, pays homage to an ancient kingdom that once ruled the same land.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
This declaration reasserted the populace’s duty to pay the pharaoh and his kingdom, as everything in the state was understood to belong to the pharaoh.
—Kate McMahon, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
In January 2022, the kingdom of Tonga in the Ring of Fire was the site of one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions ever recorded, with a study later finding that the underwater eruption was larger than any U.S. nuclear explosion.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Is taking on some of their burden your way of assisting their glow up?
Sagittarius Rising
Even if all is not at peace in your kingdom this month, can an untenable situation at home somehow be the push needed to accelerate toward a fuller life?
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2024
The assaults on shipping have raised the profile of the Houthis, whose Zaydi people ruled a 1,000-year kingdom in Yemen up until 1962.
—Jon Gambrell, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024
The Saudis—given their experience in handling the very large numbers that come into the kingdom for the hajj and for whom shelter is often provided—can certainly be helpful in this effort.
—Dennis Ross, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2024
Both were filmed in Neom, a sprawling area along the kingdom’s Red Sea coast.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
The snake’s name, Trimeresurus lanna, pays homage to an ancient kingdom that once ruled the same land.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
This declaration reasserted the populace’s duty to pay the pharaoh and his kingdom, as everything in the state was understood to belong to the pharaoh.
—Kate McMahon, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
In January 2022, the kingdom of Tonga in the Ring of Fire was the site of one of the most powerful volcanic eruptions ever recorded, with a study later finding that the underwater eruption was larger than any U.S. nuclear explosion.
—Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024
Is taking on some of their burden your way of assisting their glow up?
Sagittarius Rising
Even if all is not at peace in your kingdom this month, can an untenable situation at home somehow be the push needed to accelerate toward a fuller life?
—Steph Koyfman, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 Mar. 2024
The assaults on shipping have raised the profile of the Houthis, whose Zaydi people ruled a 1,000-year kingdom in Yemen up until 1962.
—Jon Gambrell, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024
The Saudis—given their experience in handling the very large numbers that come into the kingdom for the hajj and for whom shelter is often provided—can certainly be helpful in this effort.
—Dennis Ross, Foreign Affairs, 13 Mar. 2024
Both were filmed in Neom, a sprawling area along the kingdom’s Red Sea coast.
—Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'kingdom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Dictionary Entries Near kingdom
Cite this Entry
“Kingdom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/kingdom. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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