empire

1 of 2

noun

em·​pire ˈem-ˌpī(-ə)r 

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

Empire

2 of 2

adjective

Em·​pire ˈäm-ˌpir  ˈem-ˌpī(-ə)r 

: of, relating to, or characteristic of a style (as of clothing or furniture) popular in early 19th century France

Synonyms

Noun

• conglomerate

Examples of empire in a Sentence

Noun

She built a tiny business into a worldwide empire.

He controlled a cattle empire in the heart of Texas.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On Thursday, two of Arnault’s sons joined LVMH’s board, in addition to his two other children, consolidating the family’s control of the empire. —Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 19 Apr. 2024

Archaeologists linked the unusual ruins to the ancient Roman empire’s shifting approach to modern-day France in the third century. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024

Succession talks are reportedly heating up at luxury conglomerate LVMH as more of CEO Bernard Arnault’s children are expected to join the board of the almost €400 billion empire later this week. —Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024

The restaurant will open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. The restaurants are part of the Darden Restaurants corporate empire, including an Eddie V’s Prime Seafood that opened in Fort Worth in 2008. —Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Apr. 2024

While Google's search engine has become the hub of a digital advertisement empire that generates more than $200 billion annually, news publishers saw their advertising revenues nosedive significantly in the last few decades. —Adam Beam and Trân Nguyễn, Quartz, 12 Apr. 2024

For Garza, freedom meant fighting for civil rights as well as confronting empire. —TIME, 9 Apr. 2024

As if Shari Redstone’s media empire wasn’t under enough pressure, Paramount Global now is in the final few weeks of its most recent carriage agreement with Charter, the nation’s second largest cable operator behind Comcast. —Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Apr. 2024

As Chinese EVs surged to challenge Tesla’s dominance, Musk was tending to his sprawling empire, which includes rocket-maker SpaceX, brain-chip developer Neuralink, and social media giant X, which Musk acquired in 2022. —Hyunjoo Jin, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

Adjective

French, from (le premier) Empire the first Empire of France

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Adjective

1852, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing empire

• Empire Day
• Holy Roman Empire
• Second Empire

Kids Definition

empire

noun

em·​pire ˈem-ˌpī(ə)r 

1

a

: a major political unit with a large territory or a number of territories or peoples under one ruler with total authority

especially : one having an emperor as chief of state

b

: the territory of such a unit

c

: something resembling an empire

especially : a large group of businesses under one control

2

: the state of being under or of having complete rule or control