emperor
Americannoun
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the male sovereign or supreme ruler of an empire.
the emperors of Rome.
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Chiefly British. a size of drawing or writing paper, 48 × 72 inches (122 × 183 centimeters).
noun
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a monarch who rules or reigns over an empire
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Also called: emperor moth. any of several large saturniid moths with eyelike markings on each wing, esp Saturnia pavonia of Europe See also giant peacock moth
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See purple emperor
Other Word Forms
- emperorship noun
- preemperor noun
Etymology
Origin of emperor
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English empero(u)r, (from Anglo-French; Old French empereor, from Latin imperātor, originally, “one who gives orders, ruler,” equivalent to imperā(re) “to order, command” ( im- “in” + -perāre, combining form of parāre “to provide, get ready” ) + -tor noun suffix of agency; im- 1, prepare, -tor
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In his recounting of the emperor’s life, he supports the image of Marcus as a beleaguered sage who maintained his moral center amid troubled times.
He imagines himself to be the emperor of the Americas — all of it.
From Los Angeles Times
Japan's emperor is generally treated with hushed reverence, but one man stripped away all decorum -- quite literally -- during a New Year's event on Friday, local media reported.
From Barron's
The story moves forward in time, with Paul Atreides now emperor, trapped in a position of power he never wanted and presiding over a holy war carried out in his name.
From Los Angeles Times
The new emperor, Franz Joseph I, declared that Austria was a unitary state.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.