British Empire

noun

1. a former collective term for the territories under the leadership or control of the British crown, including those in the Commonwealth of Nations and their colonies, protectorates, dependencies, and trusteeships.

British Empire

noun

1. (formerly) the United Kingdom and the territories under its control, which reached its greatest extent at the end of World War I when it embraced over a quarter of the world's population and more than a quarter of the world's land surface

British Empire

1. The empire of Britain , which began in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries with the establishment of colonies in North America and ended in the twentieth century as dozens of nations, formerly British possessions, became independent. At the empire's greatest extent, around 1900, it included Australia , Canada , India , New Zealand , vast portions of Africa , and many smaller territories throughout the world. The empire ceased to have an “emperor” in the late 1940s, when the British king renounced the title of emperor of India. The empire has been succeeded by the British Commonwealth, which was formed in 1931.

Word History and Origins

Origin of British Empire¹

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

This proved problematic when the United States declared war on the mighty British Empire.

From Washington Post

Even the queen saw fit to honor him with the Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace in 2008.

From The Daily Beast

It was, I have to say, at the bottom of the hierarchy of royal honors, a British Empire Medal.

From The Daily Beast

After the postwar disintegration of the British Empire, Scots curiously disassociated themselves with the period altogether.

From The Daily Beast

But, his psychic performance in the British Empire was about as underwhelming as England's in the World Cup.

From The Daily Beast

For over a century, Hong Kong was a colony of the British Empire.

From The Daily Beast

It is another of the signs of the changing social conditions in the British Empire.

From Project Gutenberg

It is the crowning of my own life rather than that of the British Empire that engages my present thought.

From Project Gutenberg

Especially is this true about London, the centre of the British Empire, and almost the centre of the world's history.

From Project Gutenberg

I return from this tour of the world back to the British Empire.

From Project Gutenberg

For let any Unionist glance round the world outside the British Empire.

From Project Gutenberg