empire
Forms
- Plural
- empires
Definitions
1.A political state, often a monarchy, that has achieved a much greater current size than its initial size by conquering surrounding territories, cities or nations.
- States and empires fail when they are no longer the solution, they are the problem.
2.A political unit ruled by an emperor or empress.
- The Empire of Vietnam was a short-lived client state of Japan governing Vietnam between March 11 and August 23, 1945.
3.The group of states or other territories that owe allegiance to an imperial power (foreign to them), when distinguished from the native territory of that power; imperial possessions.
- Since Britain imported mainly foodstuffs from its empire, no preferences could be granted to the colonies without Britain first imposing a tariff on foodstuffs imported from other countries.
4.An expansive and powerful enterprise under the control of one person or group.
- “Revenues for Jackson's non-profit empire sky-rocketed from $4 million in 1997, to more than $14 million just two years later.”
1.Alternative letter-case form of Empire.
2.Following or imitating a style popular during the First French Empire (1804–1814).
- However, the first style of this century was known as Empire furniture. It was a derivative of the French Empire furniture, popular at that time.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #2932
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Etymology
From Middle English empire, from Old French empire, empere, from Latin imperium, inperium (“command, control, dominion, sovereignty, a dominion, empire”), from imperare, inperare (“to command, order”), from in (“in, on”) + parare (“to make ready, order”).