Empire Definition

ĕmpīr

noun

Supreme rule; absolute power or authority; dominion.

Webster's New World

The territory included in such a unit.

American Heritage

Government by an emperor or empress.

Webster's New World

The period during which such government prevails.

Webster's New World

A state uniting many territories and peoples under a single sovereign power.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

adjective

Of, relating to, or characteristic of a neoclassic style, as in clothing or the decorative arts, prevalent in France during the early 1800s.

American Heritage

Of or characteristic of the first French Empire (1804-15) under Napoleon.

Webster's New World

Other Word Forms of Empire

Singular:

empire

Plural:

empires

From Middle English, from Old French, 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”).

From Wiktionary
Middle English from Old French from Latin imperium from imperāre to command emperor

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
After the Empire State, nickname for the state of New York, where it was developed

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
After the First Empire of France (1804–1815)

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition