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.
Q: You've said that this book seeks to exorcize the power structure in Nicaragua.
From Barron's • May 21, 2026
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
Within the current U.S. power structure, Baconi’s arguments are controversial.
From Slate • Nov. 9, 2025
The power structure is also a reason why the election campaigning in Delhi is more focused on welfare than on political or identity issues, which play a larger role in elections elsewhere in the country.
From BBC • Feb. 8, 2025
Scythe Faraday had told them enough about the power structure of the Scythedom for Rowan to know that much.
From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman
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.
