imperialism - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

im·pe·ri·al·ism

Audio Help [im-peer-ee-uh-liz-uh

m] Pronunciation Key

–noun

1.	the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.

2.	advocacy of imperial interests.

3.	an imperial system of government.

4.	imperial government.

5.	British. the policy of so uniting the separate parts of an empire with separate governments as to secure for certain purposes a single state.

[Origin: 1855–60; imperial¹ + -ism

]

—Related forms

im·pe·ri·al·ist, noun, adjective

im·pe·ri·al·is·tic, adjective

im·pe·ri·al·is·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
imperialism

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

im·pe·ri·al·ism Audio Help (ĭm-pîr'ē-ə-lĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
n.

The policy of extending a nation's authority by territorial acquisition or by the establishment of economic and political hegemony over other nations.
The system, policies, or practices of such a government.

im·pe'ri·al·ist adj. & n., im·pe'ri·al·is'tic adj., im·pe'ri·al·is'ti·cal·ly adv.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

imperialism
noun
1.	a policy of extending your rule over foreign countries
2.	a political orientation that advocates imperial interests
3.	any instance of aggressive extension of authority

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
imˈperialism noun

(belief in) the policy of having or extending control over the territory of other nations

Arabic:	إسْتِعْمار
Chinese (Simplified):	帝国主义
Chinese (Traditional):	帝國主義
Czech:	imperialismus
Danish:	imperialisme
Dutch:	imperialisme
Estonian:	imperialism
Finnish:	imperialismi
French:	impérialisme
German:	der Imperialismus
Greek:	ιμπεριαλισμός
Hungarian:	imperializmus
Icelandic:	heimsvaldastefna
Indonesian:	imperialisme
Italian:	imperialismo

Japanese:	帝国主義
Korean:	제국주의
Latvian:	imperiālisms
Lithuanian:	imperializmas
Norwegian:	imperialisme
Polish:	imperializm
Portuguese (Brazil):	imperialismo
Portuguese (Portugal):	imperialismo
Romanian:	imperialism
Russian:	империализм
Slovak:	imperializmus
Slovenian:	imperializem
Spanish:	imperialismo
Swedish:	imperialism
Turkish:	emperyalizm, sömürgecilik

See also: imperial, "imperialism" in any language

American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition - Cite This Source - Share This
imperialism

Acquisition by a government of other governments or territories, or of economic or cultural power over other nations or territories, often by force. Colonialism is a form of imperialism.

[Chapter:] World Politics

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Imperialism

Im*pe"ri*al*ism\, n. The power or character of an emperor; imperial authority; the spirit of empire.

Roman imperialism had divided the world. --C. H. Pearson.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Imperialism

Im*pe"ri*al*ism\, n. The policy, practice, or advocacy of seeking, or acquiescing in, the extension of the control, dominion, or empire of a nation, as by the acquirement of new, esp. distant, territory or dependencies, or by the closer union of parts more or less independent of each other for operations of war, copyright, internal commerce, etc.

The tide of English opinion began to turn about 1870, and since then it has run with increasing force in the direction of what is called imperialism. --James Bryce.

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