dictator
noun
dic·ta·tor
ˈdik-ˌtā-tər 
dik-ˈtā-
1
a
: a person granted absolute emergency power
b
: one holding complete autocratic control : a person with unlimited governmental power
c
: one ruling in an absolute (see absolute sense 2) and often oppressive way
fascist dictators
2
: one who says or reads something for a person to transcribe or for a machine to record : one that dictates (see dictate entry 1 sense 1)
Examples of dictator in a Sentence
The country was ruled by a military dictator.
the dictator had a fierce stranglehold on the country, keeping its people in poverty and ignorance
Recent Examples on the Web
The Boys mothership show is heading towards its fifth and final season, premiering next year, and so far, no one seems powerful enough to take down the dictator supe.
—
EW.com, 25 July 2025
In 2003: Qusay and Uday Hussein, sons of Iraqi dictator Sadam Hussein, were killed by U.S. Special Forces and infantrymen from 101st Airborne after a three-hour firefight in the city of Mosul, Iraq.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 23 July 2025
Monuments to the dictator; sometimes a statue of him, often a steel millswhich creates this product at a multiple of the world price.
—Walter E Block, Oc Register, 21 July 2025
After overthrowing longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa pledged inclusion and vowed to protect all of Syria’s diverse communities, but Sunni extremist forces loyal to him have continued to violently confront religious minorities.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictator
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EW.com, 25 July 2025
In 2003: Qusay and Uday Hussein, sons of Iraqi dictator Sadam Hussein, were killed by U.S. Special Forces and infantrymen from 101st Airborne after a three-hour firefight in the city of Mosul, Iraq.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 23 July 2025
Monuments to the dictator; sometimes a statue of him, often a steel millswhich creates this product at a multiple of the world price.
—Walter E Block, Oc Register, 21 July 2025
After overthrowing longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa pledged inclusion and vowed to protect all of Syria’s diverse communities, but Sunni extremist forces loyal to him have continued to violently confront religious minorities.
—Mostafa Salem, CNN Money, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for dictator
Cite this Entry
“Dictator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dictator. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dictator
noun
dic·ta·tor
ˈdik-ˌtāt-ər
dik-ˈtāt-ər
1
: a person who rules with total authority and often in a cruel or brutal manner
2
: one that dictates
dictatorial
adjective
ˌdik-tə-ˈtōr-ē-əl
-tȯr-
dictatorially
adverb
-ē-ə-lē
dictatorialness
noun
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