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
More practically, Ghalibaf is only one of the few Iranian leaders at the center of the power structure that is still alive.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
Within the current U.S. power structure, Baconi’s arguments are controversial.
From Slate • Nov. 9, 2025
That is the question as Mexicans go to the polls Sunday to elect the country’s judges in a radical reshaping of the nation’s power structure.
From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 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.
