Great Power
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of Great Power
First recorded in 1725–35
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.
"The EU cannot be a Great Power, nor can any of its constituent nations," he argues.
From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026
In January 2022, on the eve of the full-scale assault, he warned that Russia was not a Great Power and should not be appeased.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
“In the two current Great Power competitions, the United States is essentially on the tactical defensive,” he points out.
From Washington Post ● May 4, 2022
In the Navy’s defense, threats shifted swiftly from the Cold War to the war on terror to the current Great Power Competition in which Russia and China are asserting themselves, he said.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 7, 2022
I consider that if England shrank from the performance of her engagements—if she acted in a faithless manner with respect to this matter—her extinction as a Great Power must very soon follow.’
From Lord John Russell by Reid, Stuart J. (Stuart Johnson)
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.
