power

American  

[pou-er] / ˈpaʊ ər /

noun

• powers
  plural

1. ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something.

   Everyone has the power to better themselves.

   Synonyms:

   capacity

   Antonyms:

   incapacity

2. political or national strength.

   The Second World War changed the balance of power in Europe.

3. great or marked ability to do or act; strength; might; force.

   Synonyms:

   energy

   Antonyms:

   weakness

4. the possession of control or command over people; authority; influence.

   Words have tremendous power over our minds.

5. political ascendancy or control in the government of a country, state, etc..

   They attained power by overthrowing the legal government.

   Synonyms:

   sovereignty, rule, sway, ascendancy

6. legal ability, capacity, or authority.

   the legislative powers vested in Congress.

7. delegated authority; authority granted to a person or persons in a particular office or capacity.

   a delegate with power to mediate disputes.

8. a document or written statement conferring legal authority.

9. a person or thing that possesses or exercises authority or influence.

10. a state or nation having international authority or influence.

    The great powers held an international conference.

11. a military or naval force.

    The Spanish Armada was a mighty power.

12. Often powers a deity; divinity.

    the heavenly powers.

13. Theology. powers, an order of angels.

14. Dialect. a large number or amount.

    There's a power of good eatin' at the church social.

15. Physics.

    1. work done or energy transferred per unit of time. P

    2. the time rate of doing work.

16. mechanical energy as distinguished from hand labor.

    The factory recently began using looms driven by power.

17. a particular form of mechanical or physical energy.

    hydroelectric power.

18. energy, force, or momentum.

    The door slammed shut, seemingly under its own power.

19. Mathematics.

    1. the product obtained by multiplying a quantity by itself one or more times.

       The third power of 2 is 8.

    2. (of a numberx ) a number whose logarithm is a times the logarithm of x (and is called the a th power ofx ). Symbolically, y = xa is a number that satisfies the equation log y = a log x.

    3. the exponent of an expression, as a in xa.

    4. cardinal number.

20. Optics.

    1. the magnifying capacity of a microscope, telescope, etc., expressed as the ratio of the diameter of the image to the diameter of the object.

    2. the reciprocal of the focal length of a lens.

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verb (used with object)

• powers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• powered,
  past participle,  past
• powering
  present participle

1. to supply with electricity or other means of power.

   Atomic energy powers the new submarines.

2. to give power to; make powerful.

   An outstanding quarterback powered the team in its upset victory.

3. to inspire; spur; sustain.

   A strong faith in divine goodness powers his life.

4. (of a fuel, engine, or any source able to do work) to supply force to operate (a machine).

   An electric motor powers this drill.

5. to drive or push by applying power.

   She powered the car expertly up the winding mountain road.

adjective

1. operated or driven by a motor or electricity.

   a power mower;

   power tools.

2. power-assisted.

   cars with power brakes and power windows.

3. conducting electricity.

   a power cable.

4. Informal. expressing or exerting power, especially in business; involving or characteristic of those having authority or influence.

   She dressed for court in hose, heels, and a conservative power suit.

   The corporate-sponsored lobbyists are fueled by power breakfasts of ice-cold orange juice and croissants.

verb phrase

1. power down to shut off.

2. power up to turn on.

idioms

1. power behind the throne, someone or something that has a great deal of influence and control despite lacking official status.

   Although the chairman is ostensibly in charge, his secretary makes all the decisions and is the real power behind the throne.

2. the powers that be, those in supreme command; the authorities.

   The decision is in the hands of the powers that be.

power British  

/ ˈpaʊə /

noun

1. ability or capacity to do something

2. (often plural) a specific ability, capacity, or faculty

3. political, financial, social, etc, force or influence

4. control or dominion or a position of control, dominion, or authority

5. a state or other political entity with political, industrial, or military strength

6. a person who exercises control, influence, or authority

   he's a power in the state

7. a prerogative, privilege, or liberty

8. 1. legal authority to act, esp in a specified capacity, for another

   2. the document conferring such authority

9. 1. a military force

   2. military potential

10. maths

    1. the value of a number or quantity raised to some exponent

    2. another name for exponent

11. statistics the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis in a test when it is false. The power of a test of a given null depends on the particular alternative hypothesis against which it is tested

12.  P.  physics engineering a measure of the rate of doing work expressed as the work done per unit time. It is measured in watts, horsepower, etc

13. 1. the rate at which electrical energy is fed into or taken from a device or system. It is expressed, in a direct-current circuit, as the product of current and voltage and, in an alternating-current circuit, as the product of the effective values of the current and voltage and the cosine of the phase angle between them. It is measured in watts

    2. ( as modifier )

       a power amplifier

14. the ability to perform work

15. 1. mechanical energy as opposed to manual labour

    2. ( as modifier )

       a power mower

16. a particular form of energy

    nuclear power

17. 1. a measure of the ability of a lens or optical system to magnify an object, equal to the reciprocal of the focal length. It is measured in dioptres

    2. another word for magnification

18. informal a large amount or quantity

    a power of good

19. (plural) the sixth of the nine orders into which the angels are traditionally divided in medieval angelology

20. (often foll by an infinitive) able or allowed (to)

21. under the control or sway of someone

22. the established authority or administration

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verb

1. to give or provide power to

2. to fit (a machine) with a motor or engine

3. slang (intr) to travel with great speed or force

power Scientific  

/ pou′ər /

1. The source of energy used to operate a machine or other system.

2. The rate at which work is done, or energy expended, per unit time. Power is usually measured in watts (especially for electrical power) or horsepower (especially for mechanical power). For a path conducting electrical current, such as a component in an electric circuit, P = VI, where P is the power dissipated along the path, V is the voltage across the path, and I is the current through the path.

3. Compare energy work

4. Mathematics The number of times a number or expression is multiplied by itself, as shown by an exponent. Thus ten to the sixth power, or 10 ⁶, equals one million.

5. A number that represents the magnification of an optical instrument, such as a microscope or telescope. A 500-power microscope can magnify an image to 500 times its original size.

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power More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing power

• corridors of power
• more power to someone
• staying power

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Synonym Usage

See strength.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterpower
  noun
• repower
  verb
• de-power
  verb (used with object)

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• powers
  plural

Participles

• powering
  present
• powered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• power
  simple
• powers
  simple
• have powered
  perfect
• has powered
  perfect
• am powering
  progressive
• are powering
  progressive
• is powering
  progressive
• have been powering
  perfect progressive
• has been powering
  perfect progressive

Past

• powered
  simple
• had powered
  perfect
• was powering
  progressive
• were powering
  progressive
• had been powering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will power
  simple
• will have powered
  perfect
• will be powering
  progressive
• will have been powering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of power

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English poair(e), poer(e), poeir, power, from Anglo-French, Old French po(u)eir, poer, poor, noun use of infinitive poe(i)r, pooir “to be able,” from Vulgar Latin potēre (unrecorded), replacing Latin posse “to be able, have power”; cf. potent ¹ ( def. ), puissant ( def. )

Explanation

Someone with power has physical strength or they're in control of things. So a weakling who's in charge of a business still has a lot of power. Power comes from the Latin word potere, which means "to be able." But things with power are much more than able — they're able to exert a lot of force. "The powers that be" are those who hold authority, and "the power behind the throne" refers to the people who exert influence without being formally in charge. When used as a verb, power means "to supply with mechanical or electrical energy," as in a nuclear-powered submarine.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

power powers powered powering

The copper-rich southern African country has a long record of transferring power through the ballot box, with every change of president since the return to multiparty politics in 1991 achieved through elections.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

According to official data, external, it has so far built 392,000 homes in England since coming into power in July 2024.

From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026

As the novelist Milan Kundera put it, “the struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

Much as we respect that with great power comes great responsibility, it’s a lot dreamier to imagine what we could do with all that might if it were simply handed to us.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Then: “Sorry. I have to go before she cuts power to the entire city.”

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

The film, which was directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, follows Peter Parker as he struggles with changes to his powers and lives in isolation after erasing his identity.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

When Lantern Corps members unite their rings’ powers, they can move planets.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Liechtenstein is a tiny, doubly-landlocked country tucked away between Switzerland and Austria, whose ruler enjoys sweeping political powers, unlike many of his counterparts in Europe.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Indian Creek Village, which operates independently from the country club, is an entire incorporated municipality with its own legislative powers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

I rub my eyes and watch him give JP the earpiece that powers his G-glasses.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

No navigation, no inductive charging pad, no remotely operated rear window, no heated driver’s seat, no high-end audio, no powered side-view mirror adjustment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

Attempts to attract puffins to Lighthouse Island included setting up fake "decoy" puffins, and a solar powered speaker system broadcasting its call.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

Instead of being powered by the nuclear fusion that fuels ordinary stars, the object may consist of an extremely dense cloud of gas energized by a black hole at its center.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

But the squeeze on drivers’ wallets has intensified in recent years, powered by rising purchase prices and high interest rates.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

But she powered through and finished the job, and was soon beginning work on a fourth lodge.

From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown

"That means you can't be powering this by nuclear fusion, which is the energy source that sits at the heart of all the stars we have."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

And the Briton kept her promise with a composed performance that ended with her powering through the final 40m to beat her competitors and clinch gold.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Affluent consumers seem to be the engine that’s powering the trend, economists say.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

One persistent argument in the world of semiconductor finance is how long chips hold their value, and what is the appropriate depreciation schedule for the processors powering AI data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

“I’m with Hackett,” I growled, powering through another one.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Related Words

• authority
• clout
• influence
• jurisdiction
• law
• leadership
• management
• prestige
• privilege
• right
• rule
• sovereignty
• strength
• weight