superpower

American  

[soo-per-pou-er] / ˈsu pərˌpaʊ ər /

noun

superpowers plural

1. an extremely powerful nation, especially one capable of influencing international events and the acts and policies of less powerful nations.

2. power greater in scope or magnitude than that which is considered natural or has previously existed.

3. power, especially mechanical or electric power, on an extremely large scale secured by the linking together of a number of separate power systems, with a view to more efficient and economical generation and distribution.

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superpower British  

/ ˈsuːpəˌpaʊə /

noun

1. an extremely powerful state, such as the US

2. extremely high power, esp electrical or mechanical

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• superpowered
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• superpowers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of superpower

First recorded in 1920–25; super- + power

Explanation

The noun superpower is good for talking about a very powerful country, especially one that's strong enough to influence the way other countries act. When one country dominates the world politically, that country is called a superpower. The United States is considered to be a superpower, and throughout most of the twentieth century, so was the Soviet Union. Political scholars have their eye on China to emerge as the next superpower in the world. Officially, one step lower than a superpower is a great power, which has slightly less influence in the world.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

superpower superpowers

Respondents were asked if they had a very favourable, somewhat favourable, somewhat unfavourable, or very unfavourable opinion of each superpower.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

People cite a lot of moments from “Legally Blonde,” but that line quietly tips its hand about Elle’s superpower.

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026

Carney’s gambit is another sign of his bid to position Canada as an energy-exporting superpower.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

We need not act like a superpower, he noted, but merely be one nation, no more and no less, among many.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

I like to pretend sometimes that I have some kind of superpower or out-of-this-world fighting skills, but most of the time it's just me beating the crap out of my own nerves.

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds

The Lorne that emerges is one with many superpowers: Discovering talent, yes, but also surviving the years and the weeks when it doesn’t launch — managing creative egos.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Min Zin’s detention, which was earlier reported by the New York Times, adds another twist in relations between the world’s two superpowers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026

It is seen as a key mechanism for Asian countries to hold direct defence and security talks with the superpowers.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

There is a comic-book precedent for this version of the character, called simply the Spider, though research tells me that, costume and superpowers aside, he is different in nearly every respect.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026

The trick was they had to hide their superpowers, which is hard when you are so awesome at baseball.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu