might makes right

Idioms  

1. Superior strength can enforce one's will or dictate justice, as in The generals dismissed the parliament and imprisoned the premier—might makes right in that country, or The big boys wouldn't let the little ones use the basketball, a case of might makes right. This expression was first recorded in English about 1327.

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Example Sentences

You know, that old, amoral iron law: “Might makes right.”

From Los Angeles Times

“To the victor nations go the spoils,” Anton wrote in a 2019 essay in Foreign Policy, crystallizing a worldview that sees international relations as zero-sum competition where might makes right.

From Salon

They preach that might makes right.

From Los Angeles Times

The duo has been enmeshed for decades, with lofty rhetoric masking the tacit precept that might makes right.

From Salon

“A choice between a world defined by coercion and exploitation, where might makes right,” Mr. Biden said, “or a world where we recognize that our own success is bound to the success of others.”

From New York Times