1
: the wife or widow of an emperor
2
: a woman who is the sovereign or supreme monarch of an empire
Examples of empress in a Sentence
the Emperor and Empress of Japan
Catherine the Great was Empress of Russia.
Recent Examples on the Web
Even TikTok empress Charli D’Amelio took a turn onstage, for a crowd older and smaller than her typical target demo, with her own message on mental health.
—
Alison Brower, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The vote takes place March 15-17, with the winner inaugurated in a lavish May ceremony at the Grand Kremlin Palace, former residence of tsars and empresses.
—Kim Hjelmgaard and Anna Nemtsova, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for empress 
Alison Brower, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2024
The vote takes place March 15-17, with the winner inaugurated in a lavish May ceremony at the Grand Kremlin Palace, former residence of tsars and empresses.
—Kim Hjelmgaard and Anna Nemtsova, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for empress
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'empress.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near empress
Cite this Entry
“Empress.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/empress. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
empress
noun
em·press
ˈem-prəs 
1
: the wife or widow of an emperor
2
: a woman who is the ruler of an empire
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