# empire

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɛm.paɪ̯ə̯/ · frequency rank #2,789

## Definitions
1. 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.
2. A political unit ruled by an emperor or empress.
3. 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.
4. An expansive and powerful enterprise under the control of one person or group.
5. control, dominion, sway.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **entire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/empire-vs-entire)
- **expire** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/empire-vs-expire)
- **expiry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/empire-vs-expiry)
- **emptive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/empire-vs-emptive)
- **emir** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/emir-vs-empire)

## Common misspellings (8)
`emipre`, `emmpire`, `empier`, `empirre`, `emppire`, `emprie`, `epmire`, `mepire`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/empire