powers that be, the

Idioms  

1. Those in control, the authorities, as in Our plan was vetoed by the powers that be. This expression appeared in William Tyndale's 1526 translation of the Bible (Romans 13:1): “The powers that be are ordained of God.”

---

Example Sentences

“Everybody coming together for one purpose, you know, to save the neighborhood, that’s what it’s about. What happens now is you look at society, and there’s so much division. The powers that be, the power brokers want that division so we don’t come together. When we come together, we’re powerful.”

From Seattle Times

“DeSantis has, in his style and the actions he’s taken as governor, shown a willingness to fight the traditional powers that be, the establishment,” said David McIntosh, president of the Club for Growth, an influential conservative group based in Washington.

From Seattle Times

After just a single LIV Golf event, the disruption is so deep that it’s clear the powers that be — the U.S.

From Washington Post

Any satire worth its weight in talking animals is really a warning — to the powers that be, the complicit and anyone who thinks nothing so terrible could ever happen to them.

From Washington Post

“She was a Black woman who dared to give the powers that be the finger,” says “Billie Holiday“ screenwriter Suzan-Lori Parks, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her play “Topdog/Underdog.”

From Los Angeles Times