From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishEmpire, thethe EmpireEmpire, the1 the British Empireempireem‧pire /ˈempaɪə $ -paɪr/ ●●○ W3 noun [countable] 1 PGa group of countries that are all controlled by one ruler or government the Roman empire2 BBCa group of organizations controlled by one person a business empireCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1: a group of countries that are all controlled by one ruler or governmentadjectivesa large/vast/huge empireThe emperor Claudius ruled a vast empire stretching from Persia to Britain.a great empire (=large and powerful)The city was the centre of a great empire.the Roman/British/Soviet etc empireThe Barbarians finally overthrew the Roman empire.a colonial empire (=a group of countries ruled by another country that is far away)France had a huge colonial empire.verbsfound an empire (=start an empire)The Persian empire was founded by Cyrus the Great.an empire growsAs the empire grew, its new territories needed to be protected.an empire falls/collapses (=loses power suddenly)In A.D.476, the western part of the Empire collapsed.an empire crumbles (=loses power gradually)The vast empire was beginning to crumble.phrasesthe decline of an empire (=the gradual decrease in an empire's power)The next two hundred years saw the gradual decline of the Roman empire.the fall/collapse of an empire (=the sudden end of an empire)After the battle of Waterloo, the collapse of Napoleon's empire was inevitable. COLLOCATIONS – Meaning 2: a group of organizations controlled by one personadjectivesa business/financial/media etc empireHis business empire is now worth over $20 billion.a large/vast/huge empireHe created a vast financial empire worth billions of dollars.verbsbuild (up) an empireShe built her clothing empire from one small shop to an international chain.run an empire (=be in charge of it)She now runs a whole media empire.an empire collapses (=fails and ends suddenly)When the business empire collapsed, thousands of employees lost their jobs.phrasesthe collapse of an empireHe left the country after the collapse of his construction empire.
Examples from the Corpus
empire• Some of these may try to act as conscientious promoters of talent, but others are empire builders.• But after Charles's death, his empire dissolved in a turbulence of Frankish feud.• Ribault soon had to abandon the other two ships, the last reminders of a planned Huguenot empire.• a media empire• The point is that the fact of empire affects both white and black communities.• Selim had formidable obstacles to overcome, however, in modernising the archaic structure of the Ottoman empire.• Forbes to the eponymous publishing empire created by his flamboyant father, Huffington to oil-and-gas millions made by his dad.• This is the last main chapter in the story of this country's empire.• It was an age of unparalleled prosperity: the empire was at peace and trade was flourishing.business empire• Conran had launched a business empire that was eventually to employ thirty-three thousand people.• And he now sits at the helm of a $ 2 billion business empire that includes truck leasing and auto dealerships.• The club was put up for sale after the Kumar brothers' business empire went into receivership last month.• The way ahead would now seem to be clear for Mr Thompson's rivals to take over his business empire.• Like how he started his business empire, where the money came from.• Despite promises, he has yet to resolve conflict of interest issues relating to his business empire.• A millionaires' row for the aristocracy, film stars and the kings of international business empires.• The discovery was made by accountants sifting through the remains of the Maxwell business empire.EmpireEmpire2 adjective 1 relating to the British Empire He thinks he's still living in the Empire days.2 in a style that is typical of the period in France when Napoleon was the emperor, at the beginning of the 19th century. The word Empire can describe furniture, buildings, or clothes, especially women's dresses with high waists.From Longman Business Dictionaryempireem‧pire /ˈempaɪə-paɪr/ noun [countable] informalORGANIZATIONS a group of companies or organizations controlled by one powerful company or personTheir cautious management style has created a powerful retailing empire.The Bond business empire was once worth about £3.5 billion.Origin empire (1200-1300) Old French Latin imperare; → EMPEROR 