authority figure
Americannoun
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.
If a teacher, coach or other authority figure tells a student that they have to use a website or an app, then the student cannot realistically opt out, King said.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 22, 2026
There’s almost no authority figure or august body in our society in which most people have confidence.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025
Despite no adult or authority figure believing in their mission, the goonies triumph.
From Salon • Jun. 7, 2025
The British comedian and actor pops up in the trailer as some sort of authority figure who asks Arthur/Joker: "What's changed?"
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2024
On my first day on the job, I walked into my classroom and tried to present myself as an authority figure, someone confident and intelligent, but inside I was a nervous wreck.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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.
