superpower
Americannoun
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an extremely powerful nation, especially one capable of influencing international events and the acts and policies of less powerful nations.
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power greater in scope or magnitude than that which is considered natural or has previously existed.
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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.
noun
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an extremely powerful state, such as the US
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extremely high power, esp electrical or mechanical
Other Word Forms
- superpowered adjective
Etymology
Origin of superpower
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.
Vocabulary lists containing superpower
Human Geography - Middle School
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Human Geography - High School
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Russia - Introductory
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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.
Tim Cook may not have had the same flash as Steve Jobs, but he wielded an unassuming superpower that helped grow Apple into a $4 trillion juggernaut.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026
“My superpower is I wear my emotions on my sleeve,” Blevins explains.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2026
China's emergence this century as an economic and military superpower has also seen its space capabilities accelerate rapidly, and it now has a stated aim of landing an astronaut on the Moon by around 2030.
From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026
It could be the sign of some hidden immunological superpower.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
I wonder if being super rich is a superpower.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
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.
