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.

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Russian Empire British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of Russian Empire

First recorded in 1620–30

Example Sentences

The city of Narva in Estonia, once a textiles hub for the Russian Empire, is now host to Europe’s biggest production plant for the kinds of rare-earth magnets needed in electric cars and wind turbines.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 16, 2025

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

Some young Finns left Finland, which was then part of the Russian Empire, to avoid tsarist conscription.

From Slate • Nov. 11, 2023

Azerbaijan and Armenia both claimed the territory after the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917 and since the Soviet Union crumbled they have fought two wars over it.

From Reuters • Sep. 21, 2023

As we watched the men ride around the arena, Frankie explained that Cossacks formed the military might of the Russian Empire, where they were required to serve for twenty years.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros