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

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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

We also have something called Article I of the Constitution that vests war powers in Congress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025

Being an exercise of the war powers of the Government, such confiscation is not affected by the restrictions of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments.

From The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation Annotations of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 30, 1952 by Edward Samuel Corwin

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