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

The Chinese government is embracing AI in its bid to become the leading tech superpower.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

But the question of who gets paid or has permission to develop this new reading superpower is a thorny one.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

“A great legal partner’s superpower was always knowing what deserves attention in a deal and what doesn’t,” Fox says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Luke Gromen is the founder of financial research firm Forest For The Trees and his interview with Eric Townsend of the Macro Voices podcast on Thursday was timely, given his strong opinions on superpower competition.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026

What do you think your superpower would he?

From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson

The character's story begins when he becomes bound to the Spirit of Vengeance Zarathos after making a deal with villain Mephisto to spare his surrogate father, giving him superpowers.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

The author is a law school professor, researcher and author of an upcoming book on the scientifically proven neural superpowers of grandmothers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

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

In their quest for global soccer supremacy, the World Cup’s superpowers are setting up shop in the heart of flyover country.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

“Tim’s giving you superpowers, Miss Milly,” jokes Mr. Van Deusen.

From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein