Hegemony (, , ) is the political, economic and military predominance of one state over other states, either regional or global.

In Ancient Greece (ca. 8th BC - AD 6th c.), hegemony denotes the politico-military dominance of the hegemon city-state over other city-states. In the 19th century, hegemony denoted the "social or cultural predominance or ascendancy; predominance by one group within a society or milieu"