power structure
Americannoun
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the system of authority or influence in government, politics, education, etc..
The state elections threatened to upset the existing power structure.
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the people who participate in such a system.
She hoped to become a part of the power structure.
noun
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the structure or distribution of power and authority in a community
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the people and groups who are part of such a structure
Etymology
Origin of power structure
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
In the early 1920s, Tojo joined other young officers to break the army’s old-school power structure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026
Writers, actors, directors, and studio execs harbor animosity for Netflix, which disrupted their business models and shook up the power structure of the industry incumbents.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 2026
Within the current U.S. power structure, Baconi’s arguments are controversial.
From Slate • Nov. 9, 2025
In "Fruitvale Station," Mr. Coogler exposed viewers to a portrait of Black male humanity counter to the picture displayed by the power structure culpable in the death of the Black male body.
From Salon • Apr. 28, 2025
They shuddered when they imagined the many ways the white power structure could punish them if they took a visible stand for equal rights.
From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry
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.
