A power play is an attempt to gain an advantage by showing that you are more powerful than another person or organization, for example in a business relationship or negotiation.
Their politics consisted of unstable power-plays between rival groups.
2. uncountable noun
In a game of ice hockey, power play is a period of time when one team has more players because one or more of the otherteam is in the penalty box.
power play in British English
or powerplay (ˈpaʊəˌpleɪ)
noun
1.
behaviour or tactics intended to magnify a person's influence or power
2.
the use of brute strength or force of numbers in order to achieve an objective
3. especially ice hockey
a period when one team has more players taking part than their opponents, usually as a result of a penalty for foul play
power play in American English
US
1.
an offensive play, as in sports, in which force is concentrated in one area; specif., in ice hockey and indoor soccer, one that occurs when the defensive team is shorthanded due to penalties
2.
an attempt to attain an end, as in politics or business, through the use of power rather than finesse