lords

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of lord.

   The lords of the realm assembled to advise the monarch on matters of war.

   Medieval lords controlled vast estates and the people who farmed them.

   Note

   A regular -s plural that spans every kind of lord: feudal masters of manors, noblemen and sovereign rulers, and peers of the realm, especially temporal ones. Titles do not map neatly across borders. In Scotland a lord held the lowest rank of nobility, the rank England calls baron. The same spelling also serves the verb form, as in she lords it over them, so the surrounding grammar tells them apart.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of lord.

   The manager lords his seniority over every new hire on the team.

   Whenever she wins, she lords the victory over her rivals for weeks.

   Note

   Two verbs share this form. One means to domineer, and the other means to raise someone to the dignity of a lord. The domineering verb usually travels with over. In he lords it over the newcomers, it is an empty object that refers to nothing. In she lords the win over her rivals, the object names what is flaunted. The title-granting verb is strictly transitive and takes the person ennobled as its object.

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