pester power

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noun

the ability possessed by a child to nag a parent relentlessly until the parent succumbs and agrees to the child's request

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.

Question 1 of 7

Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?

their

there

they're

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby pester power

pessimistic, Pessoa, pest, Pestalozzi, pester, pester power, pesthole, pesthouse, pesticide, pestiferous, pestilence

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example sentences from the Web for pester power

From this attitude he draws a singular comic and literary power.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And the fact that satire unnerves the intolerant is evidence of its positive power.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Would the Democrats rescind those rights if they were to return to power?
The Black Man Who Replaced Jefferson Davis in the Senate|Philip Dray|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Employees strap a device to their heads and power a helicopter drone with their minds.
Use Your Brain—Control a Drone|The Daily Beast Video|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST

What it endangers is a narrow conception of Russian power, understood through the eyes of its dictatorial leader.
Oliver Stone’s Latest Dictator Suckup|James Kirchick|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
For this use of the voice in the special service of will-power, or propelling force, it is necessary first to test its freedom.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Wharton smiled at this littleness in so great a man, but determined that he should feel the power he despised.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
He brings out all their power, brilliancy and careering wildness, and makes the greatest sensation of them.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
She knew that she alone of all human beings was gifted with the power to understand and fully sympathize with him.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
We live in an age that is at best about a century and a half old—the age of machinery and power.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock

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