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

That is extraordinary for a country widely recognised as an energy superpower and one of the world's leading exporters of crude oil.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Now there is evidence that they could be missing out on hires with a secret superpower: speedy adaptability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

That may be the culmination of negotiations or just the beginning, but it isn’t actually the goal, especially for a superpower.

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026

“Biking is like a superpower to gain familiarity with your neighborhood, but it just needs to be unleashed.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

I could sense everything around me like I had a superpower or something.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

Despite recent efforts to stabilize ties between the two superpowers, the effective tariff rate on Chinese imports was 23.2% in June, according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model, well above the global 7% average.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

The U.S. and China are the AI superpowers, but swings in technology-related foreign direct investment will be very influential for other currencies, too, Sinha maintains.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Introducing a finder tag, an upgraded watch that checks for respiratory problems and the latest artificial intelligence superpowers in smartphones, Google on Wednesday will unveil its newest Pixel offerings.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

Tourette's, she says, can also offer a selection of "superpowers".

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Add to the list of superpowers I did not have: infrared vision.

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan