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war powers

American

plural noun

the powers exercised by the president or by Congress during a war or a crisis affecting national security.

Etymology

Origin of war powers

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

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war powers

Representatives Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are looking to force a vote on a war powers resolution.

From Salon ● Feb. 19, 2026

The day after that meeting, the war powers resolution was blocked by two votes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026

Domestically, opposition politicians chanted the traditional laments about executive usurpation and congressional war powers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 4, 2026

One key purpose of the Constitution was to transfer war powers from the states to the federal government so that the nation could present a unified front to its enemies.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2023

The opportunity to make capital out of the war powers was quite too good to be lost!

From Lincoln; An Account of his Personal Life, Especially of its Springs of Action as Revealed and Deepened by the Ordeal of War by Stephenson, Nathaniel W. (Nathaniel Wright)

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023