empire

1 of 2

noun

em·​pire ˈem-ˌpī(-ə)r 

1

a(1)

: a major political unit having a territory of great extent or a number of territories or peoples under a single sovereign authority

especially : one having an emperor as chief of state

(2)

: the territory of such a political unit

b

: something resembling a political empire

especially : an extensive territory or enterprise under single domination or control

2

: imperial sovereignty, rule, or dominion

3

capitalized [Empire State, nickname for New York] : a juicy apple with dark red skin that is a cross between a McIntosh apple and a Red Delicious apple

Empire

2 of 2

adjective

Em·​pire ˈäm-ˌpir  ˈem-ˌpī(-ə)r 

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a style (as of clothing or furniture) popular in early 19th century France

Synonyms

Noun

• conglomerate

Examples of empire in a Sentence

Noun

She built a tiny business into a worldwide empire.

He controlled a cattle empire in the heart of Texas.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For Garza, freedom meant fighting for civil rights as well as confronting empire. —TIME, 9 Apr. 2024

As if Shari Redstone’s media empire wasn’t under enough pressure, Paramount Global now is in the final few weeks of its most recent carriage agreement with Charter, the nation’s second largest cable operator behind Comcast. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024

As Chinese EVs surged to challenge Tesla’s dominance, Musk was tending to his sprawling empire, which includes rocket-maker SpaceX, brain-chip developer Neuralink, and social media giant X, which Musk acquired in 2022. —Hyunjoo Jin, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

Bitcoin booths opened in the Grand Bazaar, next to the gold-trading stalls where people once sheltered their money when empires collapsed. —Leif Wenar, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024

The worldwide leader in sports has a media empire that spans the globe with broadcast channels in the U.S., Latin America, Africa, and Europe, its own streaming service, and now a budding sports gambling operation after a $1.5 billion licensing deal with Penn Entertainment. —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024

This is the last Bay Area location of what was once a small Bob’s empire. —Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 2024

The Huy Fong Sriracha empire dates back to 1979 when David Tran, a Vietnam War refugee, arrived in Los Angeles. —Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 28 Mar. 2024

It’s located in Piraeus, the port of Athens, where ancient travelers would often arrive and where the Athenian fleet was built and berthed in the days of Pericles to rule the empire. —Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "supreme power, position of an emperor, territory under an emperor's rule," borrowed from Anglo-French, going back to Latin imperium "authority over family members and slaves exercised by the head of a household, supreme administrative authority, dominion, power exercised by a Roman emperor," from imperāre "to give orders, exercise authority, hold political power" + -ium, deverbal suffix of function or state — more at emperor

Adjective

French, from (le premier) Empire the first Empire of France

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Adjective

1852, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing empire

• Holy Roman Empire
• Second Empire
• Empire Day

Kids Definition

empire

noun

em·​pire ˈem-ˌpī(ə)r 

1

a

: a major political unit with a large territory or a number of territories or peoples under one ruler with total authority

especially : one having an emperor as chief of state

b

: the territory of such a unit

c

: something resembling an empire

especially : a large group of businesses under one control

2

: the state of being under or of having complete rule or control