power structure

noun

1. the system of authority or influence in government, politics, education, etc.:

   The state elections threatened to upset the existing power structure.

2. the people who participate in such a system:

   She hoped to become a part of the power structure.

power structure

noun

1. the structure or distribution of power and authority in a community
2. the people and groups who are part of such a structure

Word History and Origins

Origin of power structure¹

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

As the Texas power grid labored, its human power structure flickered.

From Washington Post

The Trust SD Coalition lobbied hard and found sympathetic members of the City Council willing to champion their cause within the power structure.

From Voice of San Diego

In interviews, Powell has said that she “heard a video of somebody ordering ballots from China” and that her team was “essentially fighting the entire globalist elite power structure” to defeat fraud.

From Washington Post

Policing is meant to contain and control the people who pose the greatest threat to the power structure.

From Vox

These revelations are the latest in a years-long recalibration of workplace hierarchies and power structures.

From Fortune

And from their power structure within the prisons they manipulate and control events on the streets.

From The Daily Beast

For example, it views comedian and Last Week Tonight host John Oliver as a credible threat to the Thai power structure.

From The Daily Beast

And yes, that authoritarian, patriarchal guru-power structure, invariably, always leads to abuses.

From The Daily Beast

If Assad falls and a new government is formed by Sunni rebel forces, Iran loses a keystone in its regional power structure.

From The Daily Beast

They also enjoy strong relations with the power structure in Washington, Silicon Valley, Hollywood and Wall Street.

From The Daily Beast

But once new circumstances emerge, the underlying structure reflected in the power structure undergoes change as well.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• hierarchy
• ruling class