Definition of imperialism
1
see usage paragraph below
: the policy, practice, or advocacy of extending the power and dominion of a nation especially by direct territorial acquisitions or by gaining indirect control over the political or economic life of other areas
… late nineteenth-century imperialism was constituted through and legitimized by a set of complex discourses that exoticized others and positioned European states as better than and often obligated to "assist" those others through political, cultural, and economic interventions.— Mona Domosh … World War II, when powers like the United Kingdom, France, and the Netherlands were looking at the end of their globe-spanning empires, while simultaneously seeing the expansion of imperialism in countries like Japan.— George Yang
broadly
: the extension or imposition of power, authority, or influence
… as the Hollywood movies had already proved, American cultural imperialism was not only too big to fight, it was too seductive to ignore. — Clive James
2
: imperial government, power, or authority: an imperial system
ancient Roman imperialism
Test Your Vocabulary
Eponyms: Words Named After People
-
- What is the best definition of boycott?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share imperialism
Time Traveler for imperialism
The first known use of imperialism was in 1684
See more words from the same year