Domino is a game played with a set of domino tiles. Each domino tile has a face that displays a number or other design, and a blank or identically patterned back. A domino is distinguished from a playing card by its center, which divides it into two square halves marked with an arrangement of dots, or “pips,” similar to those on the face of a die. Depending on the type of domino, the pips may be colored white or black, or may be molded into the piece’s surface. Some dominoes are double-blank, which means they have no pips and therefore count as zero.
The dominoes are typically twice as long as they are wide, making them easy to stack and re-stack after use. The most common dominoes are made from wood, although they can also be made of bone, ivory, porcelain, and metal. They are normally made of a color-coordinated material, such as ivory with black pips or a dark hardwood such as ebony with contrasting white pips. The pips are usually inlaid or molded into the pieces, but they may also be printed on.
As a rule, the dominoes are arranged with one face up and the other down. This is done so that the value of each side is visible to players when they draw their tiles, although some games are played in a position where the dominoes are not displayed face up. The first player, determined either by drawing lots or by who holds the heaviest hand, places one of his tiles on the table, placing it so that its open ends (or edges) match those of another domino already in play. If the matching ends total a multiple of five, then the player is awarded points for the match.
When a player cannot place his next domino, he must knock the table and pass play to the opponent. This is sometimes called “chipping out,” or “rapping the table.” The opponent then plays his own tiles until he chips out as well. Then, the scores are tallied and the winner is declared.
After this change in leadership, Domino’s relaunched its pizza and rolled out a new delivery car called the DXP. It was a bold move that showed a level of self-awareness not seen before at Domino’s. The company was clearly acknowledging that its pizza wasn’t good enough and that it needed to do something about it.
Domino’s was able to turn its business around thanks to this unflinching attitude toward self-awareness and accountability. This is the type of leadership that other companies can learn from, and it has been praised as a model for leadership. The examples on this page are selected from various online sources. They are intended to illustrate current usage of the word ‘domino.’ Any opinions in these examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors.