empire
noun
em·pire
| \ ˈem-ˌpī(-ə)r
\
\
Definition of empire
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a(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
adjective
Em·pire
| \ ˈäm-ˌpir
, ˈem-ˌpī(-ə)r
\
, ˈem-ˌpī(-ə)r
\
Definition of Empire (Entry 2 of 2)
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a style (as of clothing or furniture) popular in early 19th century France
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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
Gergiev runs the Mariinsky empire, which extends from the opera and ballet in two St. Petersburg theaters (the second built with government support for Gergiev) and outposts in Vladivostok and the conductor’s native Caucasus. — Los Angeles Times, "Commentary: For Putin-backed conductor Valery Gergiev, boos and cheers at Bayreuth and Salzburg," 21 Aug. 2019 Especially for an aggressive, ambitious media mogul running a $14 billion empire that owned some of the world’s largest newspapers and TV stations. — Vanita Kohli-khandekar, Quartz India, "How Rupert Murdoch saved KBC from being merely Kaun Banega Lakhpati," 22 July 2019 Getty ImagesTheo Wargo As well as running a cosmetics empire, quietly becoming an almost-billionaire, and raising her first child, Kylie Jenner has found time to make a quick cameo in boyfriend Travis Scott’s new music video. — Lucy Wood, Marie Claire, "Kylie Jenner in Travis Scott's New Music Video Is a Golden Goddess," 7 Aug. 2018 Slaughter’s explosive crusade led to his teaming up with United States federal agents in South America in order to destroy a supercomputer used to run a criminal empire. — Richard Newby, New York Times, "Like the New ‘Superfly’? Stream These 13 Classic Blaxploitation Films," 18 June 2018 Fellow media baron Sumner Redstone ran his entertainment empire for roughly 50 years until 2016 despite deteriorating command. — Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, "Why CEOs Make Great Politicians," 14 June 2018 My favorite, hands down, is from Jeni Britton Bauer, who runs an artisan ice cream empire out of Columbus, Ohio. — Anna Thomas Bates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Homemade strawberry shortcake ice cream a magical summer treat," 13 June 2018 Billionaire David Koch is stepping down from running his conservative political empire because of deteriorating health. — David Rovella, Bloomberg.com, "Your Evening Briefing," 5 June 2018 Even Dietland villain Kitty–who runs a beauty empire built on women’s insecurities and pays for a photographer’s legal fees when he’s accused of rape–finds commonality in her resentment. — Eliana Dockterman, Time, "Female Rage on Television Reaches a Boiling Point in Dietland," 31 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'empire.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for empire
empire
noun
em·pire
| \ ˈem-ˌpīr
\
\
Kids Definition of empire
1
: a group of territories or peoples under one ruler
the Roman empire
2
: a country whose ruler is called an emperor
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