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authority

[uh-thawr-i-tee, uh-thor-]
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noun, plural au·thor·i·ties.
  1. the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine.
  2. a power or right delegated or given; authorization: Who has the authority to grant permission?
  3. a person or body of persons in whom authority is vested, as a governmental agency: The housing authority provides rental assistance payments to low-income residents. The bridges and piers are built and maintained by the Port Authority.
  4. Usually authorities. persons having the legal power to make and enforce the law; government: They finally persuaded the authorities that they were not involved in espionage.
  5. an accepted source of information, advice, etc.: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the leading authority on vaccines and immunizations.
  6. a quotation or citation from such a source.
  7. an expert on a subject: He is an authority on baseball.
  8. persuasive force; conviction: She spoke with authority.
  9. a statute, court rule, or judicial decision that establishes a rule or principle of law; a ruling.
  10. right to respect or acceptance of one's word, command, thought, etc.; commanding influence: the authority of a parent; the authority of a great writer.
  11. mastery in execution or performance, as of a work of art or literature or a piece of music.
  12. a warrant for action; justification.
  13. testimony; witness.
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Origin of authority

1200–50; earlier auct(h)oritie < Latin auctōritās; replacing Middle English autorite < Old French < L. See author, -ity
Related formsan·ti·au·thor·i·ty, adjective

Synonyms

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1. rule, power, sway. 3. sovereign, arbiter.

Synonym study

1. Authority, control, influence denote a power or right to direct the actions or thoughts of others. Authority is a power or right, usually because of rank or office, to issue commands and to punish for violations: to have authority over subordinates. Control is either power or influence applied to the complete and successful direction or manipulation of persons or things: to be in control of a project. Influence is a personal and unofficial power derived from deference of others to one's character, ability, or station; it may be exerted unconsciously or may operate through persuasion: to have influence over one's friends.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for authorities

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • As to the possibility, however, the authorities are at loggerheads.

  • The authorities here have recommended him for promotion to the rank of Major.

    Ridgeway

    Scian Dubh

  • Sanitation is ever the last thing thought of by French authorities.

    In the Heart of Vosges

    Matilda Betham-Edwards

  • Let us hope that the authorities of Toulon were equally on the alert.

    In the Heart of Vosges

    Matilda Betham-Edwards

  • He does seem to know something about the history of this place, on which we are authorities!

    It Happened in Egypt

    C. N. Williamson

British Dictionary definitions for authorities

authority

noun plural -ties
  1. the power or right to control, judge, or prohibit the actions of others
  2. (often plural) a person or group of people having this power, such as a government, police force, etc
  3. a position that commands such a power or right (often in the phrase in authority)
  4. such a power or right delegated, esp from one person to another; authorizationshe has his authority
  5. the ability to influence or control othersa man of authority
  6. an expert or an authoritative written work in a particular fieldhe is an authority on Ming china
  7. evidence or testimonywe have it on his authority that she is dead
  8. confidence resulting from great expertisethe violinist lacked authority in his cadenza
  9. (capital when part of a name) a public board or corporation exercising governmental authority in administering some enterpriseIndependent Broadcasting Authority
  10. law
    1. a judicial decision, statute, or rule of law that establishes a principle; precedent
    2. legal permission granted to a person to perform a specified act
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Word Origin

C14: from French autorité, from Latin auctōritas, from auctor author
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for authorities

authority

n.

early 13c., autorite "book or quotation that settles an argument," from Old French auctorité "authority, prestige, right, permission, dignity, gravity; the Scriptures" (12c.; Modern French autorité), from Latin auctoritatem (nominative auctoritas) "invention, advice, opinion, influence, command," from auctor "master, leader, author" (see author (n.)).

Usually spelled with a -c- in English till 16c., when it was dropped in imitation of the French. Meaning "power to enforce obedience" is from late 14c.; meaning "people in authority" is from 1610s. Authorities "those in charge, those with police powers" is recorded from mid-19c.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper