empire

noun em·pire \ ˈem-ˌpī(-ə)r \

Definition of empire

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

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Examples of empire in a Sentence

She built a tiny business into a worldwide empire.
He controlled a cattle empire in the heart of Texas.

Recent Examples of empire from the Web

This Is Us: Season 2 Premiere (NBC) Sept. 28 Dance Flick (2009) Chicago P.D.: Season 5 Premiere (NBC) Empire: Season 4 Premiere (FOX) Law & Order: Special Victims Unit:

— sean axmaker, The Seattle Times, "New on Hulu in September: ‘The Magnificent Seven,’ ‘Ben-Hur’," 28 Aug. 2017
Y. Lee after a court convicted him of bribing his way to greater control of the Samsung empire his family founded.

— megan hess, Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 25 Aug. 2017
With the loss of all-powerful cartel bosses who had tightly controlled their criminal empires, drug gangs moved increasingly into other crimes, such as kidnapping and extortion.

— joshua partlow, Washington Post, "Acapulco is now Mexico’s murder capital," 24 Aug. 2017
In lieu of the annual bash, Toby and Larry Milstein, scions of the family real estate empire, are partnering with the HRC (Human Rights Campaign) to host the Millennial Pink Party this Saturday.

— natalina lopez, Town & Country, "A Peek Inside This Weekend's Legendary Millennial Pink-Themed Party in the Hamptons," 18 Aug. 2017
Filipino leaders have long known their archipelago is a strategic outpost for other empires.

— jonathan m. katz, The Atlantic, "The Legacy of a Century-Old War Is Reshaping Power in the Pacific," 10 Aug. 2017
Sweet Rose Creamery Only the Pico shop in this ice cream empire offers seasonal flavors like milk gelato and dairy-free peach sorbet.

— Los Angeles Magazine, "Your Life Is Incomplete Until You Taste the Heavenly Swirls of LA’s 4 Essential Soft-Serve Ice Cream Shops," 3 Aug. 2017
High-level targets close to Guzmán’s empire have often been nabbed along this stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border.

— kristina davis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Godson of 'El Chapo' turns himself in to DEA at Calexico border," 28 July 2017
This is a chef whose fiery temper and scathing attacks on his cooking show contestants have built a reality show empire.

— jenny staletovich, miamiherald, "Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay chows down on Everglades python," 25 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'empire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.