authority
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; cogency: 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.
Origin of authority
1Other words for authority
| 1 | rule, power, sway |
| 3 | sovereign, arbiter |
| 8 | persuasion, persuasiveness; convincingness |
Other words from authority
- an·ti·au·thor·i·ty, adjective
Words Nearby authority
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use authority in a sentence
By doing so, Facebook has effectively taken away medical experts’ and doctors’ authority on health-related matters and handed it over to the general public.
State and federal agencies have somewhat overlapping authority to regulate coal industry pollution.
This Billionaire Governor’s Coal Company Might Get a Big Break From His Own Regulators | by Ken Ward Jr. | September 17, 2020 | ProPublicaNow, when we get on the ground, we’re still under the command and control of the governor and the adjutant general, the top military officer of the Illinois National Guard, but we’re generally placed under a civilian authority at the emergency.
Mobilizing the National Guard Doesn’t Mean Your State Is Under Martial Law. Usually. | by Logan Jaffe | September 17, 2020 | ProPublicaLike Wiley, Gostin said lawsuits over a governor’s legal authority and separation of powers are more likely to succeed than those about individual liberties.
Courts may reconsider temporary coronavirus restrictions as pandemic drags on | Anne Gearan, Karin Brulliard | September 16, 2020 | Washington PostHowever, in practice, we often see that the so-called YMYL websites already can’t rank without having some expertise and authority established.
Google ranking factors to change search in 2021: Core Web Vitals, E-A-T, or AMP? | Aleh Barysevich | September 16, 2020 | Search Engine Watch
You get these high-profile people that go into prison, and the staff abuse their authority.
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’ | Michael Howard | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThey selected an “easy mark” who turned out to be an off-duty NYC Housing authority cop named James Carragher.
His First Day Out Of Jail After 40 Years: Adjusting To Life Outside | Justin Rohrlich | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTBut the last national figure to wield ancient personal authority in an explicitly religious way was Robert F. Kennedy.
I have it on good authority these quotes are 100 percent accurate, if not 100 percent verbatim.
But the authority of his name far exceeds that of our own, famous or obscure though we be.
A distinguished-looking man, evidently vested with authority, bustled forward and addressed him, civilly enough.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy"Here's my authority, yuh blasted runt," he yelled, and jerked his six-shooter to a level with the policeman's breast.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair"The authority of Mademoiselle de La Vauvraye," was the unanswerable rejoinder.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniIn the next chapter he gives his twelve disciples authority over demons.
Solomon and Solomonic Literature | Moncure Daniel ConwayThat of M. Charles Guenllette is the authority followed here.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine Clement
British Dictionary definitions for authority
/ (ɔːˈθɒrɪtɪ) /
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; authorization: she has his authority
the ability to influence or control others: a man of authority
an expert or an authoritative written work in a particular field: he is an authority on Ming china
evidence or testimony: we have it on his authority that she is dead
confidence resulting from great expertise: the violinist lacked authority in his cadenza
(capital when part of a name) a public board or corporation exercising governmental authority in administering some enterprise: Independent 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
Origin of authority
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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