im·pe·ri·al
im-ˈpir-ē-əl 
1
a
: of, relating to, befitting, or suggestive of an empire or an emperor
b(1)
: of or relating to the United Kingdom as distinguished from the constituent parts
(2)
: of or relating to the Commonwealth of Nations and British Empire
3
a
: of superior or unusual size or excellence
b
sometimes Imperial
: having a full body and a higher-than-average percentage of alcohol
an imperial stout
4
: belonging to the official British series of weights and measures see Weights and Measures Table
1
Imperial
: an adherent or soldier of the Holy Roman emperor
2
: emperor
3
: a pointed beard growing below the lower lip
4
: something of unusual size or excellence
Synonyms
Examples of imperial in a Sentence
Adjective
a member of the imperial family
envisioned an imperial city that would rival the capitals of Europe for beauty and magnificence
Recent Examples on the Web
Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
That swept in former 25-year GE veteran Harry Stonecipher to run things, the first in a train of executive leaders who had worked under and sought to imitate Welch as cold, imperial CEOs.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
Advertisement The Japanese village centered on the issei, first-generation immigrants, who were master fishers who left imperial Japan in search of work on the West Coast in the early 1900s.
—Nick Owchar, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
But private firms were extensively controlled under the imperial governments.
—Evan Osborne, National Review, 9 Apr. 2024
The six-character mark indicates that the porcelain was created in the imperial kiln during the Yongzheng Emperor's rule in the 18th century.
—The Enquirer, 5 Apr. 2024
After Bessel, many nations had the global, imperial reach to chase down those shadows, said Deborah Kent, a math historian at the University of St. Andrews.
—Joshua Sokol, Quanta Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
The novels include anti-colonialist narratives and challenges to imperial power structures.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Both men remain devoted to art and love despite the violent political turmoil around them—Omar must deal with power struggles in the imperial Seljuk court and the rise of a terrifying Order of the Assassins; Benjamin lives through Iran’s Constitutional Revolution.
—Chelsea Leu, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 8 July 2023
While crab cakes might be more widely served today, crab imperial will always be a great way to showcase fresh crabmeat.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 8 July 2023
The Quechan Tribe has successfully fought mining on and near sacred lands on BLM lands north of their current tribal lands in Imperial County, California.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 26 Apr. 2023
Charles will wear St Edward's Crown and the Imperial State Crown, while Camila will wear Queen Mary's Crown.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 Apr. 2023
The acquisition also adds a central Alabama distribution center to Imperial’s network.
—William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 20 Apr. 2023
The postponement does not apply to residents and businesses in seven counties: Imperial, Kern, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta and Sierra.
—Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Apr. 2023
The Imperial State Crown features four pearls believed to be from the personal collection of Queen Elizabeth I. 13.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2023
That would hit California farmers in places such as the Imperial Valley - who suck up a lot of the river and have rights to it that predate cities - particularly hard.
—Joshua Partlow, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Apr. 2023
Adjective
Wearing face paint and watching the whole spectacle from their imperial boxes, the duo seem to be treating the proceedings with scenery-chewing relish.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
That swept in former 25-year GE veteran Harry Stonecipher to run things, the first in a train of executive leaders who had worked under and sought to imitate Welch as cold, imperial CEOs.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
Advertisement The Japanese village centered on the issei, first-generation immigrants, who were master fishers who left imperial Japan in search of work on the West Coast in the early 1900s.
—Nick Owchar, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2024
But private firms were extensively controlled under the imperial governments.
—Evan Osborne, National Review, 9 Apr. 2024
The six-character mark indicates that the porcelain was created in the imperial kiln during the Yongzheng Emperor's rule in the 18th century.
—The Enquirer, 5 Apr. 2024
After Bessel, many nations had the global, imperial reach to chase down those shadows, said Deborah Kent, a math historian at the University of St. Andrews.
—Joshua Sokol, Quanta Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
The novels include anti-colonialist narratives and challenges to imperial power structures.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 4 Apr. 2024
Both men remain devoted to art and love despite the violent political turmoil around them—Omar must deal with power struggles in the imperial Seljuk court and the rise of a terrifying Order of the Assassins; Benjamin lives through Iran’s Constitutional Revolution.
—Chelsea Leu, The Atlantic, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
Crab imperial is a dish featuring lump crab in its purest form, enhanced only by a light imperial sauce, without the additional binders used to make crab cakes.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 8 July 2023
While crab cakes might be more widely served today, crab imperial will always be a great way to showcase fresh crabmeat.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 8 July 2023
The Quechan Tribe has successfully fought mining on and near sacred lands on BLM lands north of their current tribal lands in Imperial County, California.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 26 Apr. 2023
Charles will wear St Edward's Crown and the Imperial State Crown, while Camila will wear Queen Mary's Crown.
—Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 Apr. 2023
The acquisition also adds a central Alabama distribution center to Imperial’s network.
—William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, 20 Apr. 2023
The postponement does not apply to residents and businesses in seven counties: Imperial, Kern, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta and Sierra.
—Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Apr. 2023
The Imperial State Crown features four pearls believed to be from the personal collection of Queen Elizabeth I. 13.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2023
That would hit California farmers in places such as the Imperial Valley - who suck up a lot of the river and have rights to it that predate cities - particularly hard.
—Joshua Partlow, Anchorage Daily News, 12 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'imperial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Imperial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imperial. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
imperial
1 of 2 adjective
im·pe·ri·al
im-ˈpir-ē-əl
: of, relating to, or fine enough for an empire or an emperor
imperial
2 of 2 noun
: a pointed beard growing below the lower lip
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