empire

1 of 2

noun

em·​pire ˈem-ˌpī(-ə)r How to pronounce empire (audio)
1
a(1)
: a major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority
especially : one having an emperor as chief of state
(2)
: the territory of such a political unit
b
: something resembling a political empire
especially : an extensive territory or enterprise under single domination or control
2
: imperial sovereignty, rule, or dominion
3
capitalized [Empire State, nickname for New York] : a juicy apple with dark red skin that is a cross between a McIntosh apple and a Red Delicious apple

Empire

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a style (as of clothing or furniture) popular in early 19th century France

Examples of empire in a Sentence

Noun She built a tiny business into a worldwide empire. He controlled a cattle empire in the heart of Texas.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
His wife, Brooke Brown Barzun, is an heiress of the Brown-Forman wine and spirits empire. Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 15 Mar. 2024 And Poison shows Dahl’s debt to Rudyard Kipling in a knowing depiction of the empire’s defects. Armond White, National Review, 15 Mar. 2024 The actress wore a sheer white plunging Givenchy Haute Couture gown from the Winter 1996 collection with an empire waist and cap sleeves. Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Lawrence neglected to add the towering powdered wig Moss was styled in back in 1996 for the after-party, but the empire waist and négligée frills were pure Joséphine Bonaparte. Kerry McDermott, Vogue, 11 Mar. 2024 Sixteen months ago, they were told that the Los Angeles Times, their employer, would outsource the printing of the paper and that the Olympic printing plant, once a crown jewel in a vast media empire, would shut down sometime in 2024. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 In the series, awash in the classic Ritchie mix of guns, drugs, violence, aristocrats, boxing and tweed, Winstone stars as a gangland patriarch and head of a massive weed-growing empire. Alex Ritman, Variety, 8 Mar. 2024 Sasaki Nobutsuna, a scholar of Japanese classics with strong ties to the imperial court, was a supporter of the empire’s nationalistic ideology. Małgorzata (gosia) K. Citko-Duplantis, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024 Watch Hatfields & McCoys on Amazon Prime Video The Son Love a good multi-generational family saga? Like Yellowstone, this AMC series follows the rise (and potential fall) of a family empire. Emily Blackwood, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'empire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "supreme power, position of an emperor, territory under an emperor's rule," borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin imperium "authority over family members and slaves exercised by the head of a household, supreme administrative authority, dominion, power exercised by a Roman emperor," from imperāre "to give orders, exercise authority, hold political power" + -ium, deverbal suffix of function or state — more at emperor

Adjective

French, from (le premier) Empire the first Empire of France

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Adjective

1852, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of empire was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near empire

Cite this Entry

“Empire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empire. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

empire

noun
em·​pire ˈem-ˌpī(ə)r How to pronounce empire (audio)
1
a
: a major political unit with a large territory or a number of territories or peoples under one ruler with total authority
especially : one having an emperor as chief of state
b
: the territory of such a unit
c
: something resembling an empire
especially : a large group of businesses under one control
2
: the state of being under or of having complete rule or control

More from Merriam-Webster on empire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!