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.
Although he hasn’t held any official post for five years, Raúl Castro is the patriarch of Cuba’s opaque power structure.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
Writers, actors, directors, and studio execs harbor animosity for Netflix, which disrupted their business models and shook up the power structure of the industry incumbents.
From Barron's • Feb. 4, 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.
