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Ottoman Empire

American  

noun

  1. a former Turkish empire that was founded about 1300 by Osman and reached its greatest territorial extent under Suleiman in the 16th century; collapsed after World War I. Constantinople.


Ottoman Empire British  

noun

  1. Also called: Turkish Empire.  the former Turkish empire in Europe, Asia, and Africa, which lasted from the late 13th century until the end of World War I

"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

Ottoman Empire 1 Cultural  
  1. An empire developed by the Turks between the fourteenth and twentieth centuries; it was succeeded in the 1920s by the present-day republic of Turkey. At its peak, the Ottoman Empire included, besides present-day Turkey, large parts of the Middle East and southeastern Europe.


Ottoman Empire 2 Cultural  
  1. An empire developed by Turks between the fourteenth and twentieth centuries. It was succeeded in the 1920s by the present-day republic of Turkey. At its greatest extent, the Ottoman Empire included many parts of southeastern Europe and the Middle East.


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.

It became a vibrant crossroads under the Ottoman Empire, said Artega, 55, and its population grew to around 25,000 as a construction boom took off.

From Barron's • Feb. 1, 2026

It became a mosque under the Ottoman Empire and a museum under the Republic of Turkey.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

On my mother’s side, my great-grandparents’ families left Syria as the first World War broke up the Ottoman Empire and European powers redrew borders and installed new colonial rule over the region.

From Slate • May 29, 2025

They were removed by British aristocrat Lord Elgin while Athens was part of the Ottoman Empire and were badly damaged en route to London, where they have been displayed since.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2024

With Turkey’s collapse, the seven-century-old Turkish Ottoman Empire vanished into history.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman