empire building
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of empire building
First recorded in 1895–1900
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.
The ingots date back almost 2,000 years to AD87, based on lettering written on the objects, which refers to the Emperor Domitian, who was known for his empire building, including expansion in Britain.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
One reason the Monroe doctrine and empire building went out of fashion was that colonies and client states wanted out.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026
As more of the industrialized nations embarked on empire building, and as reaching international markets became an expected part of their strategy, the value of having strong navies to protect commercial trade only grew.
From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022
Shakespeare offers little room for arias, although Adams borrows from Dryden’s translations of Virgil’s “Aeneid” to give one to Caesar, who stands for the force of modernity in his empire building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2022
Man’s work at empire building beckoned me, for surely the wagoning of munitions to remote outposts of civilization was very necessary.
From Desert Dust by Shepherd, J. Clinton
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.
