corridors of power

Idioms  

1. The offices of powerful leaders. For example, As clerk to a Supreme Court justice, Jim thought he'd get his foot inside the corridors of power. This term was first used by C.P. Snow in his novel Homecomings (1956) for the ministries of Britain's Whitehall, with their top-ranking civil servants. Later it was broadened to any high officials.

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Example Sentences

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corridors of power

“The need to understand what is happening in these corridors of power in 2026 is greater than ever before.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

The UK's most famous feline, Larry the cat, marks 15 years as the country's chief mouser patrolling the corridors of power of 10 Downing Street.

From Barron's ● Feb. 15, 2026

This has now become a trust issue between Ratcliffe, the others who occupy Old Trafford's corridors of power and United's vast global fanbase.

From BBC ● Jan. 5, 2026

While Cheney will largely be remembered for his leading role in the response to the 9/11 terror attacks, he had long worked the corridors of power in Washington.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2025

Or they live in the corridors of power, and - like politicians - massage the facts, and make those fit the mold of the times.

From Definition & Reality in the General Theory of Political Economy by Colignatus, Thomas

Related Words

• hierarchy
• ruling class