domino

¹ American  

[dom-uh-noh] / ˈdɒm əˌnoʊ /

noun

plural

dominoes

1. a flat, thumbsized, rectangular block, the face of which is divided into two parts, each either blank or bearing from one to six pips or dots: 28 such pieces form a complete set.

2. (used with a singular verb) dominoes, any of various games played with such pieces, usually by matching the ends of pieces and laying the dominoes down in lines and angular patterns.

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domino ² American  

[dom-uh-noh] / ˈdɒm əˌnoʊ /

noun

plural

dominoes, dominos

1. a large, hooded cloak with a mask covering the eyes, worn at masquerades.

2. the mask.

3. a person wearing such dress.

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Domino ³ American  

[dom-uh-noh] / ˈdɒm əˌnoʊ /

noun

1. Antoine Fats, 1928–2017, U.S. rhythm-and-blues pianist, singer, and composer.

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domino ¹ British  

/ ˈdɒmɪˌnəʊ /

noun

1. a small rectangular block used in dominoes, divided on one side into two equal areas, each of which is either blank or marked with from one to six dots

2. (modifier) exhibiting the domino effect

   a domino pattern of takeovers

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domino ² British  

/ ˈdɒmɪˌnəʊ /

noun

1. a large hooded cloak worn with an eye mask at a masquerade

2. the eye mask worn with such a cloak

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Domino ³ British  

/ ˈdɒmɪnəʊ /

noun

1. Fats. real name Antoine Domino born 1928, US rhythm-and-blues and rock-and-roll pianist, singer, and songwriter. His singles include "Ain't that a Shame" (1955) and "Blueberry Hill" (1956)

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Etymology

Origin of domino¹

First recorded in 1710–20; perhaps special use of domino ²

Origin of domino²

First recorded in 1710–20; from Italian: “hood and mask costume,” from Medieval Latin or Middle French: “black hood worn by priests in winter”; obscurely akin to Latin dominus “lord, master”

Explanation

A domino is a small rectangular block used in the game dominoes. Each block has anywhere from 0 to 6 dots. A domino is a small, black rectangular game piece with white dots. In the game called dominoes, sides of the dominoes with equal numbers are matched. Dominoes are also stood up to create elaborate patterns that look pretty impressive when they’re knocked down. If you set them up right, knocking down the first domino will knock down hundreds and even thousands of others. This use of dominoes inspired the domino effect, when one action inevitably causes others.

Example Sentences

Redemption requests at managers like Blue Owl and Cliffwater are triggering a domino effect among funds.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

The latest blackout was due to an outage in a generating unit at one of the country's eight thermoelectric plants, triggering a domino effect in the system, according to authorities.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

The selloff may have been exacerbated by a domino effect of investors trying to front-run selling their shares, in Gastwirth’s opinion.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

"This phonon laser was the last domino standing that we needed to knock down," Eichenfield said.

From Science Daily • Jan. 17, 2026

Tata, Don Julio, and Chico left their domino game in the kitchen to see what was going on.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Related Words

• camouflage
• cloak
• veil