power
/ˈpaʊə
/noun [mass noun]
1The ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way: the power of speech I will do everything in my power to help you (powers) his powers of concentration...
- The powers of technology harnessed with the power of the human mind fused into one supreme being capable of the impossible.
- He preached a simple, effective message of a common humanity and the power of love.
- I can use any number of tools, from the powers of composition and imagination to the power of a computer, to make an image be what I want it to be.
Synonyms
ability, capacity, capability, potential, potentiality, faculty, property, competence, competency
2The capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviour of others or the course of events: a political process that offers people power over their own lives she had me in her power...
- We have the power to influence events if only we are prepared to use it.
- You have power, prestige and influence and can dictate your terms in professional matters.
- It is a role of no power, no influence, with no glamour or credit.
2.1Political or social authority or control, especially that exercised by a government: the party had been in power for eight years...
- But that was a revolution which brought the capitalist class to political power.
- The parliament that emerged from this vote has been as yet unable to form a government and exercises no power.
- They don't have the economic and social power of government and media figures, that's for sure.
Synonyms
control, authority, influence, dominance, mastery, domination, rule, command, ascendancy, supremacy, dominion, sovereignty, jurisdiction, sway, weight, leverage, hold, grasp, say
informal clout, pull, beef, teeth
North American informal drag
literary puissance
2.2Authority that is given or delegated to a person or body: police do not have the power to stop and search...
- The Tribunal has no power to delegate to any other body the performance of the duties laid on it by the Act.
- This ground of challenge may be used where the claimant alleges that there has been an unlawful delegation of power.
- There has also been a history of judicial reticence when a power is delegated to an elected public body.
Synonyms
authority, right, authorization, warrant, licence, prerogative, faculty
informal say-so
2.3The military strength of a state: the sea power of Venice...
- The world heroine had rendered her causes morally imperative and essential to national military power.
- Yes, in conventional terms, the greater military power would win out, but not in guerilla warfare.
- His greatest strength was recognising the limitations of military power.
2.4 [count noun] A state or country, especially one viewed in terms of its international influence and military strength: a great colonial power...
- The Industrial Revolution ensured military supremacy of the Western powers, whose colonial influence affected most of the Muslim world.
- After a long trend of consolidation by colonial powers, new countries are declaring their independence.
- In addition a murky role is being played by certain neighbouring countries and international powers.
Synonyms
state, country, nation, world power, superpower
2.5 [count noun] A person or organization that is strong or influential within a particular context: he was a power in the university...
- There will no longer be two political powers within the central government as some suggested.
- A number of business organisations appealed to political powers today to work together and form a cabinet as soon as possible.
- Uber-designers often pave the way for their work by forging bonds with the business and political powers in an organization.
2.6 [count noun] A supernatural being, deity, or force: the powers of darkness...
- The stories of heroism from the epics involved the use of supernatural or divine powers by the avtats or incarnations of gods and goddesses.
- Those who believe in a supernatural power know that there is a further existence after the shell they are in dies.
- The force of these powers works in ways that are so woven into the fabric of life, they are hard to see.
2.7 (powers) (In traditional Christian angelology) the sixth-highest order of the ninefold celestial hierarchy.The heavenly powers greet you with sacred canticles and with joyous praise.
2.8 [with modifier] Used in the names of movements aiming to enhance the status of a specified group: gay power...
- She's also justly proud of the girl power movement the band started.
- We probably used the term gay power more than gay pride in that particular march.
3Physical strength and force exerted by something or someone: the power of the storm figurative the lyrical power of his prose...
- We think power is physical muscle power and we try harder to overpower and dominate others.
- Their stand-out attribute for me is the physical strength and power of the players.
- Yet by their physical power, they can impose their will without regard to the law.
Synonyms
strength, powerfulness, might, force, forcefulness, mightiness, weight, vigour, energy, intensity, potency;
brawn, brawniness, muscle
informal punch
British informal welly
literary thew
forcefulness, powerfulness, potency, strength, force, eloquence, effectiveness, cogency, persuasiveness, impressiveness, authoritativeness
informal punch
3.1Capacity or performance of an engine or other device: a surge of power from the engine...
- Once again we tried to lift off with engines roaring at full power, but no cigar.
- This should be less of a problem at Monaco, where no cars use their full engine power.
- With a brisk performance, this engine had plenty of power at the high end.
Synonyms
driving force, horsepower, hp, acceleration
informal poke, oomph
North American informal grunt
3.2 [as modifier] Denoting a sports player, team, or style of play that makes use of power rather than finesse: a power pitcher...
- He came out of nowhere last year to play the power game well and show amazing athleticism for his size.
- She is working on her own power game - spending more time in the gym, and improving the physical side of her game.
- His running is the reason why the Wildcats are relying more on power football and the option.
3.3The magnifying capacity of a lens.The main ocular determinants of refraction are the focusing power of the cornea and crystalline lens and the length of the eye....
- Long-sightedness occurs when the eyeball is too short in relation to the focusing power of the cornea and lens.
- The refractive or focusing power of the cornea can be measured with a keratometer.
4Energy that is produced by mechanical, electrical, or other means and used to operate a device: generating power from waste [as modifier]: power cables...
- Wind power uses the kinetic energy from the wind to turn an electricity-generating turbine.
- The server has two separate power supplies and two power cables in case one fails or falls out.
- They are also actively involved in smuggling and looting high-voltage power cables.
Synonyms
energy, electrical power, nuclear power, solar power, steam power, water power
informal juice
4.1Electrical energy supplied to an area, building, etc. 30,000 homes were left without power...
- He said the use of solar energy could help people in rural areas to have power for their schools and clinics.
- The building is self-sufficient in power and water use and all wastewater is treated on site.
- Nobody in the area had power at this point, and there was quite a bit of property damage.
4.2 [as modifier] Driven by electrical energy: a power drill...
- I found an attachment for our power screwdriver/drill thing that exactly fits a standard drum lug.
- Then there's the sound of buzzing: the rasp of a buzz-saw or scream of a power drill, perhaps.
- It made him want to take a power drill to the other side of his head to release the pressure.
5 Physics The rate of doing work, measured in watts or less frequently horse power.Spectral analysis provides a measure of power in the different frequency bands in the EEG....
- There are two 1.5 watt speakers built in and the unit draws a paltry 20 watts of power.
- It likes to trumpet its all out speed while ignoring the 130 watts of power and size of the beast.
6 Mathematics The product obtained when a number is multiplied by itself a certain number of times: 2 to the power of 4 equals 16...
- In 1915 Macaulay discovered the primary decomposition of an ideal in a polynomial ring, which is the analogue of the decomposition of a number into a product of prime powers.
- We can use arithmetics with different bases, fractions, decimals, logarithms, powers, or simply words.
- Hensel was interested in the exact power of a prime which divides the discriminant of an algebraic number field.
7 (a power of) chiefly dialect A large number or amount of something: there’s a power of difference between farming now and when I was a lad...
- There's a power of difference between a monologue and a one-man show.
- There's a power of men been killed in this Hispaniola a sight o' poor seamen dead and gone since you and me took ship to Bristol.
- To be sure there's a power of money made here.
Synonyms
a great deal of, a lot of, much
informal lots of, loads of, heaps of, masses of, tons of
dated a deal of
verb
1 [with object] Supply (a device) with mechanical or electrical energy: the car is powered by a fuel-injected 3.0-litre engine (as adjective, in combination -powered) a nuclear-powered submarine...
- A particular growth area for the company continues to be the production of seal rings for turbo chargers in diesel powered engines.
- Chips are cut out of wafers, and are used to power electronics devices such as cell phones.
- ‘In fact the school pays for the electricity that powers the machines, with no return,’ she adds.
1.1 (power something up/down) Switch a device on or off: the officer powered up the fighter’s radar...
- It did rather lose its marbles towards the end and had turned malicious after one particularly thorough seeing to by a bloke who didn't know how to switch it on and powered it up at least nine times in a way that the manual expressly forbade.
- Set the replicator to ‘ham sandwich’ and power the device up, making sure to jokingly say ‘make it so!’
- He looked at his handheld device and saw it was powered up fully.
2 [no object, with adverbial of direction] Move or travel with great speed or force: he powered round a bend...
- Crawford was slow out of his blocks but powered round the bend to lead Williams by a fraction as they entered the final 100m.
- Thrashing my way along, this guy powered past me, turbulence all round, power-boat wake.
- The Texan was the world's one-lap maestro and looks as relaxed in the studio as he was powering round the track.
2.1 [with object] Direct (something, especially a ball) with great force: Nicholas powered a header into the net...
- Northampton then could only clear a MacKenzie free kick as far as Corden who powered a low shot through a forest of legs and into Rachubka's midriff.
- Ramos bravely powered the ball goalwards with a header only for Stekelenburg to palm away to safety.
- Locke powered the ball into the line, while Devine used his speed to run the ball to the outside.
Phrases
do someone/thing a power of good
in the power of
more power to your elbow! (or to you etc.)
power behind the throne
the powers that be
Origin
Middle English: from Anglo-Norman French poeir, from an alteration of Latin posse 'be able'.
Like posse, power can be traced back to Latin posse ‘to be able’. ‘We know that power does corrupt, and that we cannot trust kings to have loving hearts’, wrote Anthony Trollope in The Prime Minister (1876). But power corrupts got into the language through the slightly later quotation from Lord Acton: ‘Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority’ (letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton, 1887). Whoever the authorities or people in control are in a particular situation can be referred to as the powers that be, a phrase that comes from the Bible: ‘For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God’ (Epistle to the Romans).