war powers

American  

plural noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of war powers

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

war powers

Their conversation focuses on constitutional constraints, the role of Congress, and the principles of international law, and emphasizes the need for Congress to reclaim its war powers.

From Slate ● Mar. 2, 2026

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

A war powers resolution is an act of Congress that is based on a 1973 law of the same name.

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

But one thing: use the war powers while they remained in his hands in every conceivable way that might force a conclusion on the field of battle.

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