power structure
Americannoun
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the system of authority or influence in government, politics, education, etc..
The state elections threatened to upset the existing power structure.
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the people who participate in such a system.
She hoped to become a part of the power structure.
noun
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the structure or distribution of power and authority in a community
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the people and groups who are part of such a structure
Etymology
Origin of power structure
First recorded in 1945–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Little of Zhu’s effort endeared him to China’s traditional power structure, but he was the reform camp’s standard-bearer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
"I don't think it would affect the power structure in Cuba very much anymore. He's 94," Isacson said.
From BBC ● May 21, 2026
The suspects, said NABU, had created a parallel power structure inside the state enterprise overseeing Ukraine's nuclear power plants, which supply half of the country's energy.
From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2025
Within the current U.S. power structure, Baconi’s arguments are controversial.
From Slate ● Nov. 9, 2025
They shuddered when they imagined the many ways the white power structure could punish them if they took a visible stand for equal rights.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
