Definition of EMPIRE

empire

Plural: empires

Noun

  • An extensive group of states or countries under a single authority.
  • the domain ruled by an emperor or empress; the region over which imperial dominion is exercised
  • a group of countries under a single authority
    • "the British created a great empire"
  • a monarchy with an emperor as head of state
  • a group of diverse companies under common ownership and run as a single organization
  • an eating apple that somewhat resembles a McIntosh; used as both an eating and a cooking apple
  • 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.
  • A political unit ruled by an emperor or empress.
  • 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.
  • An expansive and powerful enterprise under the control of one person or group.
  • control, dominion, sway.

Adj

  • Alternative letter-case form of Empire.

Examples

  • The Empire of Vietnam was a short-lived client state of Japan governing Vietnam between March 11 and August 23, 1945.
  • the McDonald's fast food empire
  • the Russian empire
  • With two bingos, he built an EMPIRE of points on the Scrabble board.

Origin / 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.

Scrabble Score: 10

empire: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
empire: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
empire: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

empire: valid Words With Friends Word