Empson

American

[emp-suhn] / ˈɛmp sən /

noun

William, 1906–84, English critic and poet.

Empson British

/ ˈɛmpsən /

noun

Sir William. 1906–84, English poet and critic; author of Seven Types of Ambiguity (1930)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

Empson says he was happy to pay the equivalent of $400 for the service.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

She also co-hosts Strictly, so would've crossed paths with Tameka Empson when she was a contestant.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

“Too much informality could be undermining,” Ms. Empson said.

From New York Times • May 11, 2023

A photograph of my hero, the English critic William Empson, playing softball in 1950 while teaching that summer at Kenyon College.

From Washington Post • Dec. 29, 2020

He lifts an opinion from Coleridge, takes something else from Frye or Empson or Leavis.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023