empire

noun em·pire \ ˈem-ˌpī(-ə)r \

|Updated on: 10 Jun 2018

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

Only in that way could Rzewski create his multifaceted portrait of decaying empires.

— david weininger, BostonGlobe.com, "Category-defying music, left-wing stance in composer’s provocative piece," 6 June 2018
Higgins is an authentic master builder, with the kind of will power, brains, drive and daring that characterized the American empire builders of an earlier generation.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "D-Day: How New Orleans technology helped win the battle and World War II," 6 June 2018
Higgins is an authentic master builder, with the kind of will power, brains, drive and daring that characterized the American empire builders of an earlier generation.

— michael s. rosenwald, Washington Post, "D-Day: How American and British technology helped win the battle and World War II," 6 June 2018
Kim Kardashian West's mega-empire has officially earned the fashion world's recognition.

— halie lesavage, Glamour, "Kim Kardashian Says She's 'Shocked' to Win CFDA Award Since She's 'Naked Most of the Time'," 4 June 2018
Alizadeh's empire faltered with the collapse of the real estate market in 2008 and Kobra and other companies went into bankruptcy.

— sam stanton, sacbee, "Granite Bay developer, restaurant mogul sentenced in loan fraud scheme," 1 June 2018
Since their divorce five years ago, Atlanta decorator and author Danielle Rollins has engaged in scorched-earth litigation with her ex-husband Glen Rollins, once a top executive of his family’s multibillion-dollar Orkin pest-control empire.

— bill rankin, ajc, "Contentious Rollins v. Rollins divorce feud may be nearing an end," 31 May 2018
The declines were mostly offset by gains elsewhere in Trump's empire.

— chicagotribune.com, "Trump's net worth drops to $2.8 billion, lowest since campaign," 31 May 2018
Crown's $4 million is nonrefundable and the company committed to remediating the property in anticipation of building a new transportation facility that would fit into the family’s vast shipping and trucking empire.

— joe guillen, Detroit Free Press, "Morouns reach deal with EPA to clean up ex-McLouth Steel site in Trenton," 31 May 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of empire

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year