empire

[ em-pahyuhr; om-peer ]

noun

1. a group of nations or peoples ruled over by an emperor, empress, or other powerful sovereign or government: usually a territory of greater extent than a kingdom, as the former British Empire, French Empire, Russian Empire, Byzantine Empire, or Roman Empire.
2. a government under an emperor or empress.
3. (often initial capital letter) the historical period during which a nation is under such a government:

   a history of the second French empire.

4. supreme power in governing; imperial power; sovereignty:

   The legacy of empire is complex, and always entwined with colonialism and nationalism.

   Synonyms: supremacy, rule, dominion

5. supreme control; absolute sway:

   passion's empire over the mind.

6. a powerful and important enterprise or holding of large scope that is controlled by a single person, family, or group of associates:

   The family's shipping empire was founded 50 years ago.

7. (initial capital letter) a variety of apple somewhat resembling the McIntosh.

adjective

1. (initial capital letter) characteristic of or developed during the first French Empire, 1804–15.
2. (usually initial capital letter) (of women's attire and coiffures) of the style that prevailed during the first French Empire, in clothing being characterized especially by décolletage and a high waistline, coming just below the bust, from which the skirt hangs straight and loose.
3. (often initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to the style of architecture, furnishings, and decoration prevailing in France and imitated to a greater or lesser extent in various other countries, c1800–30: characterized by the use of delicate but elaborate ornamentation imitated from Greek and Roman examples or containing classical allusions, as animal forms for the legs of furniture, bas-reliefs of classical figures, motifs of wreaths, torches, caryatids, lyres, and urns and by the occasional use of military and Egyptian motifs and, under the Napoleonic Empire itself, of symbols alluding to Napoleon I, as bees or the letter N.

empire

¹

/ ˈɛmpaɪə /

noun

1. an aggregate of peoples and territories, often of great extent, under the rule of a single person, oligarchy, or sovereign state
2. any monarchy that for reasons of history, prestige, etc, has an emperor rather than a king as head of state
3. the period during which a particular empire exists
4. supreme power; sovereignty
5. a large industrial organization with many ramifications, esp a multinational corporation

Empire

²

/ ˈɛmpaɪə /

noun

1. See British Empire
2. French history
   1. the period of imperial rule in France from 1804 to 1815 under Napoleon Bonaparte
   2. Also calledSecond Empire the period from 1852 to 1870 when Napoleon III ruled as emperor

adjective

1. denoting, characteristic of, or relating to the British Empire
2. denoting, characteristic of, or relating to either French Empire, esp the first: in particular, denoting the neoclassical style of architecture and furniture and the high-waisted style of women's dresses characteristic of the period

Other Words From

• inter·empire adjective
• pre-Empire adjective
• pro·empire adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of empire¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin imperium “mastery, sovereignty, empire”; empery

Word History and Origins

Origin of empire¹

C13: from Old French, from Latin imperium rule, from imperāre to command, from parāre to prepare

Example Sentences

Mr Ashley is the founder of Sports Direct and has built a retail empire including House of Fraser, Flannels and Evans Cycles which are housed under the Frasers Group parent company.

From BBC

While Rome was riven by “internecine strife” and Britain ran its empire on a shoestring budget, the U.S. was “constitutionally stable” with “an enormous industrial base.”

From Salon

Upon her release, she competes with Oz and her own family for control of her late father’s empire, only to be betrayed again and again — and ruthlessly emboldened.

From Los Angeles Times

It told the story of Emma Harte, the kitchen maid of a wealthy Yorkshire family, who, through grit and fierce ambition, became the boss of a huge retail empire.

From BBC

According to Scott, such events allowed an emperor to show off what sort of animals could be procured from the far reaches of the empire that people in Rome had never seen before.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• authority