empress
Americannoun
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the wife or widow of an emperor
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a woman who holds the rank of emperor in her own right
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a woman of great power and influence
Gender
See -ess.
Etymology
Origin of empress
1125–75; Middle English emperice, emperesse < Anglo-French; Old French emperesse, empereriz < Latin imperātrīcem, accusative of imperātrix, feminine of imperātor. See emperor, -trix
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.
In a rare interview, his mother, the former empress Farah Pahlavi told AFP from her home in Paris in written answers to questions there was "no turning back" after the wave of protests.
From Barron's • Jan. 21, 2026
Among the stolen pieces was a large, diamond-encrusted bow brooch that belonged to the same empress.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 20, 2025
Her climb from lifestyle author to homemaking empress, along with her fall and brief imprisonment, spawned endless special reports, gossip columns, parodies, and unauthorized biographies both serious and salacious.
From Salon • Oct. 30, 2024
The state visit to the UK by the emperor and empress of Japan will go ahead later this month, says Buckingham Palace.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2024
She moved slowly, with the calm importance of an empress.
From "The Red Pony" by John Steinbeck
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.
