authority

[ uh-thawr-i-tee, uh-thor- ]

/ əˈθɔr ɪ ti, əˈθɒr- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR authority ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural au·thor·i·ties.

the power to determine, adjudicate, or otherwise settle issues or disputes; jurisdiction; the right to control, command, or determine.

a power or right delegated or given; authorization: Who has the authority to grant permission?

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.

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.

an accepted source of information, advice, etc.: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the leading authority on vaccines and immunizations.

a quotation or citation from such a source.

an expert on a subject: He is an authority on baseball.

persuasive force; conviction: She spoke with authority.

a statute, court rule, or judicial decision that establishes a rule or principle of law; a ruling.

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.

mastery in execution or performance, as of a work of art or literature or a piece of music.

a warrant for action; justification.

testimony; witness.

Nearby words

authoress, authoring, authoritarian, authoritarian personality, authoritative, authority, authority control, authority figure, authority file, authorization, authorize

Origin of authority

1200–50; earlier auct(h)oritie < Latin auctōritās; replacing Middle English autorite < Old French < L. See author, -ity

SYNONYMS FOR authority

1 rule, power, sway.

3 sovereign, arbiter.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR authority ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

an·ti·au·thor·i·ty, adjective

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for authorities

Late Wednesday night, French authorities reported that Mourad had surrendered to police, while the two brothers remained at large.
Police Hunt for Paris Massacre Suspects|Tracy McNicoll, Christopher Dickey|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Did he go to the authorities to file a report against the Guerreros Unidos drug cartel?
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Yet only 24 percent of the 3,892 femicides the group identified in 2012 and 2013 were looked at by authorities.
Why Mexicans Are Enraged by Obama’s Big Tuesday Meeting|Ruben Navarrette Jr.|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I had a feeling that Turkish authorities were closing their eyes.
Ghost Ships of the Mediterranean|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Later reports say that authorities claimed to be merely escorting him back to his house arrest.
Russia’s Rebel In Chief Escapes House Arrest|Anna Nemtsova|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
No two authorities agree as to the place of these alleged magnetic mountains.
On the magnet, magnetick bodies also, and on the great magnet the earth|William Gilbert of Colchester
The authorities in England were continually clamoring for products to supplement the tobacco exports.
Agriculture in Virginia, 1607-1699|Lyman Carrier
It is evident, therefore, that the authorities are at sea in regard to the signification of the Maya and Tzental names.
Day Symbols of the Maya Year|Cyrus Thomas
The authorities seem to have raised no objection to his departure.
The Life of George Borrow|Herbert Jenkins
Consternation ruled supreme, treason and imbecility were everywhere charged against the authorities.
The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte|William Milligan Sloane

British Dictionary definitions for authorities

authority

/ (ɔːˈθɒrɪtɪ) /

noun plural -ties

the power or right to control, judge, or prohibit the actions of others

(often plural) a person or group of people having this power, such as a government, police force, etc

a position that commands such a power or right (often in the phrase in authority)

such a power or right delegated, esp from one person to another; authorizationshe has his authority

the ability to influence or control othersa man of authority

an expert or an authoritative written work in a particular fieldhe is an authority on Ming china

evidence or testimonywe have it on his authority that she is dead

confidence resulting from great expertisethe violinist lacked authority in his cadenza

(capital when part of a name) a public board or corporation exercising governmental authority in administering some enterpriseIndependent Broadcasting Authority

law

a judicial decision, statute, or rule of law that establishes a principle; precedent
legal permission granted to a person to perform a specified act

Word Origin for authority

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