empire
/ɑ̃.piʁ/masculine
The English phrase empire translates to French as empire.
empire is a masculine noun meaning a political unit ruled by an emperor. When referring to a specific historical political entity, such as the Roman Empire, the word is capitalized: l'Empire romain.
Meaning: political unit ruled by an emperor (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/ɑ̃.piʁ/. The word has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- When discussing the 'empire of the senses', French uses the word empire to describe the absolute dominance or power of a feeling or sensation.
- In French fashion, an empire waist is called taille empire, referring to the high waistline popularized during the First French Empire.
- The French word empire shares its roots with the English word 'imperative', as both derive from the Latin 'imperare', meaning 'to command'.
Examples in context
- Aucun empire ne dure toujours.No empire lasts forever.Tatoeba #7839783 by sacredceltic, translation #6015015 by mailohilohi
- L'Empire ottoman a été vaincu.The Ottoman Empire was defeated.Tatoeba #12184769 by always, translation #10987503 by Amastan
- L'Empire romain a existé pendant mille ans.The Roman Empire survived for a thousand years.Tatoeba #11966960 by lbdx, translation #682115 by Source_VOA
- L'Empire romain a exercé une grande influence sur l'histoire européenne.The Roman Empire had a great influence on European history.
- L'Empire britannique a existé pendant plusieurs siècles.The British Empire existed for several centuries.
- Napoléon Bonaparte a marqué le règne de l'Empire français.Napoleon Bonaparte marked the reign of the French Empire.
- Le règne de l'Empire ottoman s'est étendu sur plusieurs siècles.The reign of the Ottoman Empire lasted for several centuries.
- L'ère du Premier Empire français était essentiellement une dictature.The era of the First French Empire was essentially a dictatorship.
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are discussing a history book.
- ManonCe livre parle d'un grand empire.This book is about a great empire.
- LucasLequel ? L'empire chinois ?Which one? The Chinese empire?
- ManonOui, Lucas, c'est fascinant.Yes, Lucas, it is fascinating.
- LucasJe veux lire ce chapitre.I want to read this chapter.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “empire” translations and entries empire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries empire, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
