superpower

American  

[soo-per-pou-er] / ˈsu pərˌpaʊ ər /

noun

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

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

There are good reasons why picking the leader of a nuclear-armed superpower should take longer than 33 days, and I’m not here to promise you that Malta is some sort of democratic utopia.

From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea next week, state media said Friday, the latest in a series of high-level summits as Beijing asserts its position as a diplomatic superpower on the world stage.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

It is a testament to his superpower that he still wants to push himself to such limits against much younger opponents.

From BBC • May 29, 2026

His condition is both a superpower and a vulnerability, as we see when he discovers a dangerous new skill, cracking safes, with his unique ability to hear the tumblers of the lock moving internally.

From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026

My uncle Paul likes to think of it as a superpower, something from a comic book or a movie.

From "The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl" by Stacy McAnulty