Empson

American  

[emp-suhn] / ˈɛmp sən /

noun

1. William, 1906–84, English critic and poet.

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Empson British  

/ ˈɛmpsən /

noun

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

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Example Sentences

Empson, a 56-year-old British driving instructor, and Sharon Wilkinson, 60, had their dream wedding on the beach.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

He said he had "fleeting suspicions" about Carr and Tameka Empson at the very beginning of the game.

From BBC • Oct. 27, 2025

“Colleagues have enjoyed a taste of independence, if not of freedom,” says Laura Empson, a professor of the management of professional service firms at Bayes Business School at City, University of London.

From New York Times • May 11, 2023

English literary critic William Empson gave the title “Seven Types of Ambiguity” to his classic analysis of how poems differ from, say, toaster-oven instruction manuals.

From Washington Post • May 21, 2021

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

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez