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Dominant (Dom/Domme)

In dominance and submission (D/s), those who take the superior position are called dominants, known as Doms (regardless of gender) or Dommes (female).[1]

Sources: grade A×1, grade B×6, grade C×3, grade D×1. Last checked 8 October 2026. What the grades mean

D/s is a set of behaviours, customs and rituals involving the submission of one person to another in an erotic episode or lifestyle, and it is a subset of BDSM.[2] Both parties take pleasure or erotic enjoyment from either dominating or being dominated.[1] Physical contact is not necessary, and D/s can be conducted over the telephone, email or other messaging systems.[1]

Those who take the subordinate position are called submissive, or subs, and a switch is an individual who can play either role.[1] Participants often call their activity "play", with an individual play session called a "scene".[3] The terms top and bottom can be used as synonyms for dominant and submissive.[4]

In this relationship there is usually some form of power exchange.[4] Power exchange is consensual, and in reality the submissive has the underlying control, while the dominant is attempting to satisfy the submissive's kinks and desires.[5] Discipline is the practice in which a dominant sets rules which a submissive is expected to obey.[6] Rules are usually set and agreed upon by both people before a scene begins.[7]

Many misconceptions come from early theorists who treated sadomasochism and BDSM behaviour as a symptom of psychopathology.[8] A 2026 UK survey of 470 people found that men were more likely to take on dominant roles, women submissive roles, and nonbinary people to switch roles.[9]

Roles as a spectrum Dominant at one end, submissive at the other, switch in between. Many people move along the line. Dominant Switch Submissive takes control moves between gives control
Roles are agreed for a scene, not fixed identities. Top and bottom describe who is active, which is a separate question.

Sources

  1. Source grade BFedoroff, Paul J. (2008). "Sadism, Sadomasochism, Sex, and Violence" . Canadian Journal of Psychiatry . 53 (10): 637– 646. doi : 10.1177/070674370805301003 . PMID 18940032 . :"Sexual arousal from consensual interactions that include domination should be distinguished from non consensual sex acts." doi.org (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  2. Source grade BRichters, Juliet; De Visser, Richard O.; Rissel, Chris E.; Grulich, Andrew E.; Smith, Anthony M.A. (July 2008). "Demographic and Psychosocial Features of Participants in Bondage and Discipline, 'Sadomasochism' or Dominance and Submission (BDSM): Data from a National Survey" . The Journal of Sexual Medicine . 5 (7): 1660– 1668. doi : 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2008.00795.x . PMID 18331257 . figshare.com (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  3. Source grade BJozifkova, Eva (September 2013). "Consensual Sadomasochistic Sex (BDSM): The Roots, the Risks, and the Distinctions Between BDSM and Violence". Current Psychiatry Reports . 15 (9) 392. doi : 10.1007/s11920-013-0392-1 . ISSN 1523-3812 . PMID 23933978 . S2CID 29054687 . doi.org (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  4. Source grade CNewmahr, Staci (2011). Playing on the Edge: Sadomasochism, Risk, and Intimacy . Indiana University Press. ISBN 9780253355973 . OCLC 802887067 . search.worldcat.org (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  5. Source grade DBauer, Robin (2014). Queer BDSM intimacies: Critical consent and pushing boundaries . Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire; New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. {{ cite book }} : CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( link ) (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  6. Source grade C16 BDSM Punishments For Effective Behavior Training , Bad Girls Bible , retrieved 3 Feb 2019 badgirlsbible.com; Knotty Girl (5 October 2012). "Bound and Shagged: Discipline" . Swarthmore Phoenix . Retrieved 27 Aug 2017 . swarthmorephoenix.com (via Wikipedia: Discipline (BDSM))
  7. Source grade ABrown, Ashley; Barker, Edward D.; Rahman, Qazi (2020). "A Systematic Scoping Review of the Prevalence, Etiological, Psychological, and Interpersonal Factors Associated with BDSM". The Journal of Sex Research . 57 (6): 781– 811. doi : 10.1080/00224499.2019.1665619 . doi.org (via Wikipedia: Discipline (BDSM))
  8. Source grade BNitschke, Joachim; Mokros, Andreas; Osterheider, Michael; Marshall, William L. (December 2013). "Sexual Sadism: Current Diagnostic Vagueness and the Benefit of Behavioral Definitions" (PDF) . International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology . 57 (12): 1441– 1453. doi : 10.1177/0306624X12465923 . ISSN 0306-624X . PMID 23188927 . S2CID 21307046 . Archived (PDF) from the original epub.uni-regensburg.de (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  9. Source grade BBrown A, Barker ED, Friedrich S, Rahman Q. A Survey of the United Kink-dom: Investigating Five Paraphilic Interest Groups and Their Demographic and Psychological Correlates. J Sex Res. 2026. doi:10.1080/00224499.2025.2486472
  10. Source grade C"DSM, DSM-Iv, DSM-Ivr", Encyclopedia of Pain , Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2013, p. 1080, doi : 10.1007/978-3-642-28753-4_100651 , ISBN 9783642287527 doi.org (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)
  11. Source grade BDunkley, Cara R.; Brotto, Lori A. (22 April 2019). "The Role of Consent in the Context of BDSM". Sexual Abuse . 32 (6). doi : 10.1177/1079063219842847 . ISSN 1079-0632 . PMID 31010393 . S2CID 128359900 . doi.org (via Wikipedia: Dominance and submission)

Grades: A systematic review or official classification, B peer-reviewed study, C expert or community organisation, D practice from the community without research. How we grade sources.

Every claim was checked against its source before publication. Last checked 8 October 2026.