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• empire
  empire

  noun

  a group of nations or peoples ruled over by an emperor, empress, or other powerful sovereign or government: usually a territory of greater extent than a kingdom, as the former British Empire, French Empire, Russian Empire, Byzantine Empire, or Roman Empire.
• Empire
  Empire

  noun

  See British Empire

empire

American  

[em-pahy^uhr, om-peer] / ˈɛm paɪər, ɒmˈpɪər /

noun

1. a group of nations or peoples ruled over by an emperor, empress, or other powerful sovereign or government: usually a territory of greater extent than a kingdom, as the former British Empire, French Empire, Russian Empire, Byzantine Empire, or Roman Empire.

2. a government under an emperor or empress.

3. (often initial capital letter) the historical period during which a nation is under such a government.

   a history of the second French empire.

4. supreme power in governing; imperial power; sovereignty.

   The legacy of empire is complex, and always entwined with colonialism and nationalism.

   Synonyms:

   supremacy, rule, dominion

5. supreme control; absolute sway.

   passion's empire over the mind.

6. a powerful and important enterprise or holding of large scope that is controlled by a single person, family, or group of associates.

   The family's shipping empire was founded 50 years ago.

7. (initial capital letter) a variety of apple somewhat resembling the McIntosh.

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adjective

1. (initial capital letter) characteristic of or developed during the first French Empire, 1804–15.

2. (usually initial capital letter) (of women's attire and coiffures) of the style that prevailed during the first French Empire, in clothing being characterized especially by décolletage and a high waistline, coming just below the bust, from which the skirt hangs straight and loose.

3. (often initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to the style of architecture, furnishings, and decoration prevailing in France and imitated to a greater or lesser extent in various other countries, c1800–30: characterized by the use of delicate but elaborate ornamentation imitated from Greek and Roman examples or containing classical allusions, as animal forms for the legs of furniture, bas-reliefs of classical figures, motifs of wreaths, torches, caryatids, lyres, and urns and by the occasional use of military and Egyptian motifs and, under the Napoleonic Empire itself, of symbols alluding to Napoleon I, as bees or the letter N.

Empire ¹ British  

/ ˈɛmpaɪə /

noun

1. See British Empire

2. French history

   1. the period of imperial rule in France from 1804 to 1815 under Napoleon Bonaparte

   2. Also called: Second Empire.  the period from 1852 to 1870 when Napoleon III ruled as emperor

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adjective

1. denoting, characteristic of, or relating to the British Empire

2. denoting, characteristic of, or relating to either French Empire, esp the first: in particular, denoting the neoclassical style of architecture and furniture and the high-waisted style of women's dresses characteristic of the period

empire ² British  

/ ˈɛmpaɪə /

noun

1. an aggregate of peoples and territories, often of great extent, under the rule of a single person, oligarchy, or sovereign state

2. any monarchy that for reasons of history, prestige, etc, has an emperor rather than a king as head of state

3. the period during which a particular empire exists

4. supreme power; sovereignty

5. a large industrial organization with many ramifications, esp a multinational corporation

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Other Word Forms

• interempire
  adjective
• pre-Empire
  adjective
• proempire
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of empire

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Latin imperium “mastery, sovereignty, empire”; see empery

Explanation

An empire is a group of countries or territories that are under the control of a single entity but it can be used figuratively too. She rules her cosmetics empire well, with a solid knowledge of lipsticks, eye shadows, and more. Have you ever heard the phrase, “The sun never sets on the British Empire?” This came about because during the 1800s countries in every time zone around the globe were ruled by England, and it was always daytime in one of them. Although other empires have existed back through time to the original Roman Empire, perhaps the most well-known empire today comes from the popular Star Wars films in which the rebels fight Darth Vader and his evil Empire.

Example Sentences

An additional 60 were registered by other companies in the Musk empire, namely xAI, Neuralink and the Boring Co.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

Elon Musk sparred with lawyers for a third day Thursday at his California trial against OpenAI, struggling to explain why his own for-profit AI empire differs from the one he is trying to take down.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh play spoiled Pakistani-American brothers thrown from a life of wealth and leisure to suddenly leading their deceased father’s Philadelphia crime empire, along with Poorna Jagannathan as their scene-stealing auntie/enforcer.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 30, 2026

He finds it plausible that Coronado could have built a Spanish empire of encomiendas in the American Midwest.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Padma wears a bright purple dress with an empire waist that falls in a clean line to the floor.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• authority