English · Word Candidate

empire

/ˈɛm.paɪ̯ə̯/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: empires

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

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.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một quốc gia có quy mô lớn hơn nhiều so với ban đầu bằng cách chinh phục lãnh thổ xung quanh

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

the Russian empire

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

A political unit ruled by an emperor or empress.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Một đơn vị chính trị được cai trị bởi hoàng đế hoặc nữ hoàng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Examples

The Empire of Vietnam was a short-lived client state of Japan governing Vietnam between March 11 and August 23, 1945.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Following or imitating a style popular during the First French Empire (1804–1814).

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Theo phong cách phổ biến trong Thời kỳ Đế quốc Pháp thứ nhất

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

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.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Following or imitating a style popular during the First French Empire (1804–1814). — Having the waistline just below the bust; featuring an empire waist.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Theo phong cách phổ biến trong Thời kỳ Đế quốc Pháp thứ nhất — Có đường viền腰 ngay dưới ngực

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Adjective

Examples

...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.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “empire” mean?

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.

Is “empire” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.