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”). Doublet of empery and imperium.
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.
the Russian empire
States and empires fail when they are no longer the solution, they are the problem.2022 February 7, Charles Hugh Smith, How Empires Die:
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.
British people [...] continued to believe in empire. It was what gave Britain a unique role in the world, and in return Britain had drawn strength from its empire to enable it to survive two great wars that had wrecked so many of its competitors. Imperial management in the twentieth[…]2001 August 2, P. J. Marshall, The Cambridge Illustrated History of the British Empire, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 105:
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.2021 April 13, Daniel Verdier, Democracy and International Trade: Britain, France, and the United States, 1860-1990, Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 139:
4
An expansive and powerful enterprise under the control of one person or group.
the McDonald's fast food empire
“Revenues for Jackson's non-profit empire sky-rocketed from $4 million in 1997, to more than $14 million just two years later.”2002, Evelyn L. Damore, The Rattle and Hiss of the Tin Gods, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 111:
1 more example
The Mafia never forgave Castro but Lansky had already laid the foundations of a mob gambling empire all over the Caribbean […]2009, Martin Short, The Rise of the Mafia, Kings Road Publishing, →ISBN:
5
control, dominion, sway.
Each master whim maintains its hour of empire, And obstinately faithful to its dictates1781, Horace Walpole, The Mysterious Mother, Act 1 Scene 1:
The brutality, the unthinking, the unreflecting character of the barbarians were so great, that the new faith, the new feelings with which they had been inspired, exercised but a very slight empire over them.1881, François Guizot, The History of Civilization from the Fall of the Roman Empire to the French Revolution..., page 122:
2 more examples
With infinite complacency men went to and fro over this globe about their little affairs, serene in their assurance of their empire over matter.1898, H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds, London: William Heinemann, page 1:
[…] could gain some political strength for the pope, but in so doing the pope would lose the uniqueness and supremacy of his empire over souls: […]2010, Stefania Tutino, Empire of Souls: Robert Bellarmine and the Christian Commonwealth, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 270:
Derived terms
79 termsAchaemenid Empire, Akkadian Empire, American Empire, antiempire, Austrian Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Aztec Empire, British Empire, Byzantine Empire, Celestial Empire, Central African Empire, Chinese Empire, colonial empire, Eastern Roman Empire, Empire Bay, empire-building, Empire-grown, empirehood, empire line, Empire of China, Empire of Japan, Empire of Manchuria, empire silhouette, Empire State, Empire style, Empire Vale, empire-waist, empire waist, empire-waisted, Fifth Empire, First Empire, First French Empire, French colonial empire, German Empire, global empire, Graveyard of Empires, gunpowder empire, Gupta Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, Hunnic Empire, Inca Empire, Inland Empire, interempire, Japanese Empire, Korean Empire, Maratha Empire, maritime empire, miniempire, Mongol Empire, Mongolian Empire, Mughal Empire, New Empire, Norwegian Empire, Omani Empire, Orange Empire, Osman Empire, Osmanian Empire, Osmanic Empire, Osmanli Empire, Ottoman Empire, Ottomanian Empire, Parthian Empire, Persian Empire, Portuguese Empire, Roman Empire, Russian Empire, Sasanian Empire, Sassanid Empire, Second Empire, Second French Empire, Seleucid Empire, Sikh Empire, Songhai Empire, Soviet empire, Spanish Empire, subempire, Swedish Empire, Western Roman Empire
Art, Arts, Fashion, Furniture, Lifestyle 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.1997, Mark McGrail, Furniture Brasses: A Short History of English Furniture Fittings, Armac Brassworks, →ISBN, page 21:
2
Art, Arts, Fashion, Furniture, LifestyleOf a woman's dress Having the waistline just below the bust; featuring an empire waist.
...and for a moment he could not identify the lady in the Empire dress, nor imagine why her presence created such excitement among the initiated.1920, Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence, New York: Random House, →OCLC, page 17:
3
UK, Dated Produced in a dependency of the British Empire or Commonwealth of Nations.
Wine from Portugal and France showed an irregular downward tendency over the period, while Empire wine from Australia and British South Africa rose rapidly, the former increasing nearly threefold between 1925 and 1927.1966, Richard Stone, D.A. Rowe, The Measurement of Consumers' Expenditure and Behaviour in the United Kingdom, 1920-1938, volume 1, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, →OCLC, page 179: