as in dominion
controlling power or influence over others
a nation whose economic imperium waned after the war
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Recent Examples of imperium
Everyone in the imperium knows the emperor is a nincompoop—and yet no one wants to go out on a limb to criticize him.
—
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
The Islamic Republic of Iran is motivated by a desire to bring about the end times and usher in an everlasting Islamic imperium.
—Mike Coté, National Review, 20 July 2025
Nintendo has built a reputation on its willingness to catch fans off-guard, and a shutterbug adventure was the last thing anyone expected at the zenith of Pokemon’s imperium.
—Luke Winkie, Vulture, 18 June 2025
Poland, through a protest movement, led the liberation of Europe from the Soviet imperium, culminating with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 5 May 2024
Even the Commonwealth—long a convenient way to sustain a more symbolic form of cultural imperium—has lost much of its meaning.
—Fintan O’Toole, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2023
Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
The Islamic Republic of Iran is motivated by a desire to bring about the end times and usher in an everlasting Islamic imperium.
—Mike Coté, National Review, 20 July 2025
Nintendo has built a reputation on its willingness to catch fans off-guard, and a shutterbug adventure was the last thing anyone expected at the zenith of Pokemon’s imperium.
—Luke Winkie, Vulture, 18 June 2025
Poland, through a protest movement, led the liberation of Europe from the Soviet imperium, culminating with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
—Roger Cohen, New York Times, 5 May 2024
Even the Commonwealth—long a convenient way to sustain a more symbolic form of cultural imperium—has lost much of its meaning.
—Fintan O’Toole, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for imperium
Noun
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Or could an upstart that prioritizes love and mercy, say, over dominion lure away their customers?—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
14 June 2026
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But first comes Infantino’s own strategic test, the same one faced by every emperor whose dominion threatens to collapse because of overexpansion.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
Noun
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Over the past 18 months, Blue Origin finally seemed to be gaining momentum, getting closer to reliably launching a gigantic rocket, called New Glenn, that could lift greater payloads and potentially challenge SpaceX’s domination of the sector.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
16 June 2026
-
The Spanish domination of the game was complete – on paper.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
15 June 2026
Noun
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The European Commission added that the latest developments underline Europe’s need for technological sovereignty.—
Maggie Eastland,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
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This tension between the desire to increase access to powerful models that can generate significant revenues for AI model companies and benefits for users on the one hand, and regulators who want to restrict access for safety and sovereignty issues on the other is becoming the main story.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Noun
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The Vikings must find a way to run or throw with dominance to pigeonhole defenses.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
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The goal for Netflix appears to be to chip away at the daytime entertainment space, with podcasts seen as the new daytime talk show, as well as to compete with YouTube’s dominance in the space.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
15 June 2026
Noun
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On Wednesday, Grier proved his absolute supremacy once again, swinging a deal to land defenseman Michael Kesselring from the Buffalo Sabres.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
17 June 2026
-
Tencent, from China, and Sony, from Japan, vie with Microsoft for supremacy at the top of the gaming leaderboard.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Imperium.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/imperium. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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