Russian Empire

American  

[ruhsh-uhn em-pahy^uhr] / ˈrʌʃ ən ˈɛm paɪər /

noun

1. an empire proclaimed in 1721 by Peter I, extending across Eurasia and lasting until the February Revolution of 1917.

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Russian Empire British  

noun

1. the tsarist empire in Asia and E Europe, overthrown by the Russian Revolution of 1917

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Etymology

Origin of Russian Empire

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

When Öpik was born, Estonia was part of the Russian Empire and he would later study at the University of Moscow.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

“I don’t see the Iranians unconditionally surrendering,” she said, adding that the last time Tehran did so was in an 1800s treaty with the Russian Empire, when it ceded territory in the Caucasus.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2026

They know nothing about the old Russian Empire or the Middle East, so why not try their untutored hands at nuclear arms–control talks too?

From Slate • Feb. 6, 2026

Over the centuries, as Shakespeare’s reach extended worldwide, Ukraine, under the sway of the Russian Empire, entered its own fraught relationship with the playwright and his works.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2024

Sometimes he expressed his longing for Poland, at that time swallowed up in the Russian Empire, through his highly stylised adaptation of Polish folk dances - mazurkas and polonaises.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall