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

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

The city of Narva in Estonia, once a textiles hub for the Russian Empire, is now host to Europe’s biggest production plant for the kinds of rare-earth magnets needed in electric cars and wind turbines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025

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

Azerbaijan and Armenia both claimed the territory after the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917 and since the Soviet Union crumbled they have fought two wars over it.

From Reuters • Sep. 21, 2023

She was born into a family of musicians in Moscow, the second-largest city of the Russian Empire after Saint Petersburg.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein