Indian Empire

American  

noun

1. British India and the Indian states ruled by Indian princes but under indirect British control: dissolved in 1947 and absorbed into India and Pakistan.

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Indian Empire British  

noun

1. British India and the Indian states under indirect British control, which gained independence as India and Pakistan in 1947

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Etymology

Origin of Indian Empire

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

"Aden has been an integral part of British Indian administration for nearly 100 years. That political association with my Indian Empire will now be broken, and Aden will take its place in my Colonial Empire."

From BBC • Jun. 21, 2025

The story of the couple provides a window into cultural hybridity during the high noon of the British Indian Empire.

From BBC • Aug. 20, 2019

Russia wanted access to the Indian Ocean through Afghanistan, while Britain wanted control of the land in order to protect the northern borders of its Indian Empire.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

I am looking forward with interest and pleasure" said His Majesty "to the time when it will be possible for me to visit my Indian Empire.

From Time Magazine Archive

In this way, after two wars, England acquired her possessions in the Malayan Peninsula, and Lower Burmah became a part of the great Indian Empire.

From From Egypt to Japan by Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)