power plant

American  

Or powerplant

noun

power plants plural

1. a plant, including engines, dynamos, etc., and the building or buildings necessary for the generation of power, as electric or nuclear power.

2. the machinery for supplying power for a particular mechanical process or operation.

3. the engine, motor, or other power source along with related ignition, transmission, etc., components of a vehicle, aircraft, machine, etc.

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power plant British  

noun

1. the complex, including machinery, associated equipment, and the structure housing it, that is used in the generation of power, esp electrical power

2. the equipment supplying power to a particular machine or for a particular operation or process

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• power plants
  plural

Etymology

Origin of power plant

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

As a hypothetical example, the official said that if Iran "behaves", Emirati authorities could build a power plant in Iran, with US blessing.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2026

It was a notice from an energy company seeking a state air permit to build a power plant.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026

Though each home’s energy generation is capped at a relatively paltry 800 watts, their sum total across the country equates to a large power plant, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

An unclaimed drone struck an electrical generator on Sunday near the Arab world's first nuclear power plant in Barakah in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, triggering a fire but causing no injuries nor radiation leak.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

This place feels like the eerie, abandoned suburban neighborhoods that surround nuclear power plant leaks.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Related Words

• power station
• station