1.Supreme power; sovereignty; sway; dominion. "The empire of the sea." "Over hell extend His empire, and with iron scepter rule."
2.The dominion of an emperor; the territory or countries under the jurisdiction and dominion of an emperor (rarely of a king), usually of greater extent than a kingdom, always comprising a variety in the nationality of, or the forms of administration in, constituent and subordinate portions; as, the Austrian empire. "Empire carries with it the idea of a vast and complicated government."
3.Any dominion; supreme control; governing influence; rule; sway; as, the empire of mind or of reason. "Under the empire of facts." "Another force which, in the Middle Ages, shared with chivalry the empire over the minds of men."