Jump To:

• kaiser
  kaiser

  noun

  a German emperor.
• Kaiser
  Kaiser

  noun

  Henry J(ohn), 1882–1967, U.S. industrialist.

kaiser

¹ American  

[kahy-zer] / ˈkaɪ zər /

noun

kaisers plural

1. a German emperor.

2. an Austrian emperor.

3. History/Historical. a ruler of the Holy Roman Empire.

4. a person who exercises or tries to exercise absolute authority; autocrat.

---

Kaiser ² American  

[kahy-zer] / ˈkaɪ zər /

noun

1. Henry J(ohn), 1882–1967, U.S. industrialist.

---

Kaiser ¹ British  

/ ˈkaɪzə /

noun

1. any German emperor, esp Wilhelm II (ruled 1888–1918)

2. obsolete any Austro-Hungarian emperor

---

Kaiser ² British  

/ ˈkaizər /

noun

1. Georg (ˈɡeːɔrk). 1878–1945, German expressionist dramatist

---

Kaiser Cultural  

1. The German word for “emperor.” The emperors of Austria and Germany were called Kaisers. (See Wilhelm II.)

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• kaiserdom
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• kaisers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of kaiser

1150–1200; < German ≪ Latin Caesar emperor, special use of proper name ( see Caesar); replacing Middle English keisere, (north) caisere < Old Norse keisari ≪ Latin as above; compare Old English cāsere

Explanation

Historically, a kaiser was a German or Austrian emperor. In North America, it's also a delicious crusty roll. This royal title goes all the way back to the Holy Roman Emperors of the 10th century, who called themselves kaiser, from Caesar, "emperor or ruler," (a reference to Julius Caesar). The term was used throughout the German Empire, until its end in the 20th century. Kaiser rolls resemble crowns and originated in Austria, where they're known as Kaisersemmel. They're named after Austrian Kaiser Franz Joseph I, who ruled from 1848 to 1916.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

kaiser Kaiser kaisers

I finally found the BEC of my NYC dreams — the one served at Volunteer Park Cafe, where they make their own kaiser rolls to compensate for our sad regional deficit in that bread category.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2023

The country’s political parties had forced the kaiser to abdicate in favor of a new constitutional government, the Weimar Republic.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

Serrated Knife: Paging your bagels, kaiser rolls, croissants, and buns.

From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2022

Anda had built a sandwich with slices of rare roast beef, which were layered inside a housemade kaiser roll, the whole thing drizzled with “atomic cheese whiz” and slathered with Ranch mayo.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 14, 2020

Crowded beside liquefied nectarines and rock-hard kaiser rolls, the cans relax, dented and lint-covered, against the nastiest shaving kit you have ever seen in your life.

From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris

Former Kaiser CEO George Halvorson has written that if a diabetic in a Medicare Advantage plan requires a foot amputation, that will likely cost the plan $100,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

The study was carried out by researchers from Kaiser Permanente, the Public Health Institute's Getting it Right from the Start program, the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of Southern California.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026

His brain was removed during a post-mortem examination and sent to the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Psychiatry in Munich.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

His book, The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783, published in 1890, found disciples in Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and the Japanese imperial naval ministry, and shaped 20th-century history.

From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026

At last it leaks out—the Kaiser is coming to review us.

From "All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel" by Erich Maria Remarque

World War I demolished empires and destroyed kings, kaisers and sultans.

From New York Times ● Nov. 9, 2018

Latvians have fled the armies of Vikings, a Swedish king, kaisers, czars and czarinas, the general secretary of the Communist Party’s Central Committee, and the Führer.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 10, 2017

The war destroyed kings, kaisers, czars and sultans; it demolished empires; it introduced chemical weapons, tanks and airborne bombing; it brought millions of women into the work force, hastening their legal right to vote.

From New York Times ● Jun. 26, 2014

Manstein's Junker ancestors had fought for two kaisers and one czar.

From Time Magazine Archive

I've seen several kings and kaisers, but I've never seen one that looked "every inch a king."

From Ivory Apes and Peacocks by Huneker, James