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em·phat·ic /ɪmˈfætk/ adj 1 done or expressed with emphasis; forceful: She answered with an emphatic 'No'. | an emphatic refusal 2 clear and undoubted: an emphatic victory
em·phat·i·cally /ɪmˈfætɪkli/ adv 1 in a manner that shows emphasis: 'Certainly not,' she said emphatically. 2 most certainly: I will emphatically not give my approval for this silly scheme.
em·phy·se·ma /ˌemfɪˈsiːmə/ n [U] a diseased condition in which the lungs become swollen with air, causing difficulty in breathing and often preventing the proper action of the heart
em·pire /ˈempaɪə/ n 1 (often cap.) a group of countries all ruled by the ruler or government of one particular country. A country which is ruled from another country is often called a COLONY: The British Empire once covered large parts of the world. 2 (especially in business) a large organization or group of organizations: He started off with one small factory, and now he's the head of a huge industrial empire. | Her empire building activities have included the purchase of several smaller companies. → compare KINGDOM
Empire, the the British Empire
Empire¹ adj relating to the British Empire: He thinks he's still living in the Empire days.
Empire² adj 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.
'empire-,building n [U] the process of getting more power for yourself within the organization you work for, without caring whether this helps the organization
,Empire 'State ,Building, the also ,Empire 'State a famous very tall office building in New York City, which has 102 floors. It was built in 1931, and for many years it was the tallest building in the world.
em·pir·i·cal /ɪmˈpɪrɪkəl/ adj guided by or based on practical experience of the world we see and feel, not by ideas out of books: We now have empirical evidence that the moon is covered with dust. —cally /-kli/ adv
em·pir·i·cism /ɪmˈpɪrɪsɪzəm/ n [U] the system of working by empirical methods
em·place·ment /ɪmˈpleɪsmənt/ n a special position prepared for a heavy gun or other piece of usually military equipment to stand on
em·ploy¹ /ɪmˈplɔɪ/ v [T] 1 [as] to use the services of (a person or group) to perform work in return for pay; give a job to: The firm employs about a hundred people/employs more women than men. | We employ her as an adviser. | The new contract will enable us to employ about 50 extra people. | [+obj+to-v] We're employing a firm of architects to design a new extension. → see also UNEMPLOYED 2 fml to use: The police had to employ force to break up the crowd. | This bird employs its beak as a weapon. 3 be employed in doing something to be busy doing something: The children were employed in building sandcastles.
employ² n [U] fml employment: She has fifty workers in her employ. (=she employs them)
em·ploy·a·ble /ɪmˈplɔɪəbəl/ adj (of a person) suitable to be employed → opposite UNEMPLOYABLE
em·ploy·ee /ɪmˈplɔɪ-iː, ˌemplɔɪˈiː/ n [of}] a person who is employed: a government employee | an employee of the government | The company has over 50 employees.
em·ploy·er /ɪmˈplɔɪə/ n a person or group that employs others: The car industry is one of our biggest employers.
em·ploy·ment /ɪmˈplɔɪmənt/ n 1 [U] the state of being employed: The number of people in employment (=who have jobs) has fallen. → opposite UNEMPLOYMENT 2 [U] fml paid work: looking for employment 3 [U+of] fml the act of using: Do you think the employment of force was justified? 4 [C] fml a useful activity: Gardening is a pleasant employment for a Sunday afternoon.
Em'ployment ,Act, the a set of laws made in the UK in 1989 in order to replace old laws which were unfair to women, and to encourage EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES (=the same chances of employment and pay for everyone)
em'ployment ,agency → see RECRUITMENT AGENCY
em'ployment ex,change n old-fash for JOB CENTRE
Em'ployment ,Training abbrev. ET n [U] a former British government training programme
em·po·ri·um /ɪmˈpɔːriəm/ n pl. -riums or -ria /-riə/ fml or humor a large shop
em·pow·er /ɪmˈpaʊə/ v [T+obj+to -v] fml to give (someone) the power or legal right to do something: The new law empowered the police to search private houses. → compare ENABLE, ENTITLE
em·press /ˈemprs/ n 1 a female EMPEROR 2 the wife of an EMPEROR
emp·ti·ly /ˈemptli/ adv in an EMPTY way
emp·ty¹ /ˈempti/ adj 1 containing nothing: I see your glass is empty; can I fill it up? | There are three empty houses in our street. (=no one lives in them) | I won't have my children going to school on an empty stomach. (=not having eaten anything) | [F+of] At this time of night the streets are empty of traffic. 2 derog (of words, actions etc) without sense or purpose; meaningless, unreal, or insincere: Her protest was an empty gesture; she knew it would have no effect. | empty promises/threats —tiness n [U]
empty² v 1 [I;T(of, OUT)] to make or become empty: They emptied the bottle. (=drank or poured out all that was in it) | The police made him empty (out) his pockets. (=remove their contents) | The room emptied very quickly. | to empty a bag of its contents 2 [T+obj+adv / prep] to put by removing from a container: He emptied the biscuits onto the plate. | They emptied the rubbish into plastic bags. 3 [I(into)] to send or move its contents out: The River Nile empties (=flows) into the Mediterranean Sea.
empty³ n [usually pl.] infml a container that has been emptied: She took all the empties (=empty bottles) back to the shop.
,empty-'handed adv bringing nothing with one, especially because no advantage or profit has been gained: They came back from the negotiations empty-handed.
,empty-'headed adj infml foolish and silly; completely lacking the power of serious thought or feeling
EMS, the /ˌiː em es/ abbrev. for European Monetary System; a system used in the past for limiting how much the different currencies (CURRENCY) of countries within the European Union could go up and down in value in relation to each other
e·mu /ˈiːmju/ n pl. emus or emu a large Australian bird which has a long neck and long legs but cannot fly
EMU /ˌiː em ˈjuː, ˈiːmju/ abbrev. for Economic and Monetary Union; a single economic system and a single CURRENCY (=type of money) for all the members of the EU. Since the late 1990's, many EU countries, including France and Germany, have introduced a single currency, the Euro. There is a lot of discussion in the UK about whether the UK should join the system or keep its own currency, the pound. → see also MAASTRICHT
em·u·late /ˈemjʊleɪt/ v [T] 1 to try to do as well as or better than (another person): His ambition was to emulate his mother and become a member of parliament. (=she had been one) 2 (of computers and electronic equipment) to perform in the same way as (a different computer or piece of equipment): Will this terminal emulate a VT220? —lation /ˌemjʊˈleɪʃən/ n [U(of)]
e·mul·si·fi·er /ɪˈmʌlsɪfaɪə/ n something added especially to prepared food to keep liquids and solids from separating; a kind of food ADDITIVE
e·mul·si·fy /ɪˈmʌlsɪfaɪ/ v [T] tech to make into an emulsion
e·mul·sion¹ /ɪˈmʌlʃən/ n [C;U] 1 a creamy mixture of liquids which do not completely unite, such as oil and water 2 the substance on the surface of a photographic film which makes it sensitive to light 3 emulsion paint
emulsion² v [T] BrE infml to paint with emulsion paint
e'mulsion ,paint n [C;U] BrE paint for walls and other