a person who seeks extra power for its own sake, esp by increasing the number of his or her subordinates or staff
Derived forms
empire-building (ˈempire-ˌbuilding)
noun, adjective
empire builder in American English
noun
a person who plans or works to extend dominion or control, as over territory, political organizations, or business enterprises
Word origin
[1890–95]This word is first recorded in the period 1890–95. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: blanket roll, historicism, masochism, phoneme, takedown
Examples of 'empire-builder' in a sentence
empire-builder
In a powerless agricultural student all this might have been merely comical; but in an implacable empire-builder it proved lethal.