Russian Empire

American  

[ruhsh-uhn em-pahy^uhr] / ˈrʌʃ ən ˈɛm paɪər /

noun

1. an empire proclaimed in 1721 by Peter I, extending across Eurasia and lasting until the February Revolution of 1917.

---

Russian Empire British  

noun

1. the tsarist empire in Asia and E Europe, overthrown by the Russian Revolution of 1917

---

Etymology

Origin of Russian Empire

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

The author highlights three overarching attitudes formed in the Russian Empire that are central to understanding what made Jewish immigrant banks different from their American counterparts.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

They know nothing about the old Russian Empire or the Middle East, so why not try their untutored hands at nuclear arms–control talks too?

From Slate • Feb. 6, 2026

Over the centuries, as Shakespeare’s reach extended worldwide, Ukraine, under the sway of the Russian Empire, entered its own fraught relationship with the playwright and his works.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2024

It was claimed by both Azerbaijan and Armenia after the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917.

From Reuters • Sep. 24, 2023

That was the end of the Russian Empire.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein