ability to do or act; capability of doing or accomplishing something.
political or national strength: the balance of power in Europe.
great or marked ability to do or act; strength; might; force.
the possession of control or command over people; authority; ascendancy: Words have tremendous power over our minds.
political ascendancy or control in the government of a country, state, etc.: They attained power by overthrowing the legal government.
legal ability, capacity, or authority: the legislative powers vested in Congress.
delegated authority; authority granted to a person or persons in a particular office or capacity: a delegate with power to mediate disputes.
a document or written statement conferring legal authority.
a person or thing that possesses or exercises authority or influence.
a state or nation having international authority or influence: The great powers held an international conference.
a military or naval force: The Spanish Armada was a mighty power.
Often powers.a deity; divinity: the heavenly powers.
powers,Theology. an order of angels.Compare angel (def. 1).
Dialect. a large number or amount: There's a power of good eatin' at the church social.
Physics.
work done or energy transferred per unit of time. Symbol: P
the time rate of doing work.
mechanical energy as distinguished from hand labor: a loom driven by power.
a particular form of mechanical or physical energy: hydroelectric power.
energy, force, or momentum: The door slammed shut, seemingly under its own power.
Mathematics.
the product obtained by multiplying a quantity by itself one or more times: The third power of 2 is 8.
(of a number x) a number whose logarithm is a times the logarithm of x (and is called the ath power of x). Symbolically, y =xa is a number that satisfies the equation log y = a log x.
the exponent of an expression, as a in xa.
cardinal number (def. 2).
Optics.
the magnifying capacity of a microscope, telescope, etc., expressed as the ratio of the diameter of the image to the diameter of the object.Compare magnification (def. 2).
the reciprocal of the focal length of a lens.
verb (used with object)
to supply with electricity or other means of power: Atomic energy powers the new submarines.
to give power to; make powerful: An outstanding quarterback powered the team in its upset victory.
to inspire; spur; sustain: A strong faith in divine goodness powers his life.
(of a fuel, engine, or any source able to do work) to supply force to operate (a machine): An electric motor powers this drill.
to drive or push by applying power: She powered the car expertly up the winding mountain road.
adjective
operated or driven by a motor or electricity: a power mower; power tools.
power-assisted:cars with power brakes and power windows.
conducting electricity: a power cable.
Informal. expressing or exerting power, especially in business; involving or characteristic of those having authority or influence, as in power lunch;power couple;power suit.
Verb Phrases
power down,Computers. to shut off.
power up,Computers. to turn on.
Idioms for power
the powers that be, those in supreme command; the authorities: The decision is in the hands of the powers that be.
Origin of power
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English poair(e), poer(e), poeir, power, from Anglo-French, Old French po(u)eir, poer, poor, noun use of infinitive poe(i)r, pooir “to be able,” from assumed Vulgar Latin potēre, replacing Latin posse “to be able, have power”; see potent1
SYNONYMS FOR power
1 capacity.
3 energy.
4, 5 sway, rule, sovereignty.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR power ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR power
1 incapacity.
3 weakness.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR power ON THESAURUS.COM
synonym study for power
3. See strength.
OTHER WORDS FROM power
coun·ter·pow·er,nounde-pow·er,verb (used with object)re·pow·er,verb
Words nearby power
powder snow, powdery, powdery mildew, Powell, Powell, Colin, power, power amplifier, power assist, power-assisted, PowerBar, power base
Even though they will often get the job done, you’re still leaving a lot of power and performance on the table.
Six ways to make your ATV even more rugged|By Tyler Freel/Outdoor Life|September 17, 2020|Popular Science
In total, there are five drive units, each of which integrates the power electronics as well as the electric motors.
This is GM’s new series of Ultium Drive electric motors|Jonathan M. Gitlin|September 17, 2020|Ars Technica
Much of that growth is being powered by online sales, and a lot of the advertising promoting those products has been concentrated in affiliate spending.
“I’m sorry, but one man should never have that type of power,” Young said.
Courts may reconsider temporary coronavirus restrictions as pandemic drags on|Anne Gearan, Karin Brulliard|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
He said three times that Biden “never did it” or “didn’t do it,” as if the former vice president had some actual power to enact it right now.
Trump’s increasingly overt effort to pretend Biden is actually president|Aaron Blake|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
Would the Democrats rescind those rights if they were to return to power?
The Black Man Who Replaced Jefferson Davis in the Senate|Philip Dray|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Employees strap a device to their heads and power a helicopter drone with their minds.
Use Your Brain—Control a Drone|The Daily Beast Video|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What it endangers is a narrow conception of Russian power, understood through the eyes of its dictatorial leader.
Oliver Stone’s Latest Dictator Suckup|James Kirchick|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I believe in the power of institutions—Congress, public policy, certain ideas about politics—that last for a long time.
Thank Congress, Not LBJ for Great Society|Julian Zelizer, Scott Porch|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We, on the other hand, are the ones who are making it bad, and the ones with the power to change that.
Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism|Arthur Chu|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She saw in them, it is true, a reflex of her own power—and that pleased, but it did not move her.
Mary Marston|George MacDonald
It has no power, but perhaps you could tow it behind your launch.
Roy Blakeley|Percy Keese Fitzhugh
But his glory was growing dim and his power was withering into dust.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, v. 13|Various
The cardinal wanted a benefice for one of his followers, and the Pope wished to get his son's enemy once more into his power.
Renaissance in Italy Vol. 3|John Addington Symonds
No one need tell me that India has not got this power of suffering.
Freedom's Battle|Mahatma Gandhi
British Dictionary definitions for power
power
/ (ˈpaʊə) /
noun
ability or capacity to do something
(often plural)a specific ability, capacity, or faculty
political, financial, social, etc, force or influence
control or dominion or a position of control, dominion, or authority
a state or other political entity with political, industrial, or military strength
a person who exercises control, influence, or authorityhe's a power in the state
a prerogative, privilege, or liberty
legal authority to act, esp in a specified capacity, for another
the document conferring such authority
a military force
military potential
maths
the value of a number or quantity raised to some exponent
another name for exponent (def. 4)
statisticsthe probability of rejecting the null hypothesis in a test when it is false. The power of a test of a given null depends on the particular alternative hypothesis against which it is tested
physicsengineeringa measure of the rate of doing work expressed as the work done per unit time. It is measured in watts, horsepower, etcSymbol: P
the rate at which electrical energy is fed into or taken from a device or system. It is expressed, in a direct-current circuit, as the product of current and voltage and, in an alternating-current circuit, as the product of the effective values of the current and voltage and the cosine of the phase angle between them. It is measured in watts
(as modifier)a power amplifier
the ability to perform work
mechanical energy as opposed to manual labour
(as modifier)a power mower
a particular form of energynuclear power
a measure of the ability of a lens or optical system to magnify an object, equal to the reciprocal of the focal length. It is measured in dioptres
another word for magnification
informala large amount or quantitya power of good
(plural)the sixth of the nine orders into which the angels are traditionally divided in medieval angelology
in one's power(often foll by an infinitive)able or allowed (to)
in someone's powerunder the control or sway of someone
the powers that bethe established authority or administration
verb(tr)
to give or provide power to
to fit (a machine) with a motor or engine
(intr)slangto travel with great speed or force
See also power down, power up
Word Origin for power
C13: from Anglo-Norman poer, from Vulgar Latin potēre (unattested), from Latin posse to be able
In physics, the amount of energy put out or produced in a given amount of time. Power is often measured in watts or kilowatts.
In mathematics, a power is a number multiplied by itself the number of times signified by an exponent placed to the right and above it. Thus, 32, which means 3 × 3, is a power — the second power of three, or three squared, or nine. The expression 106, or ten to the sixth power, means 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 × 10, or one million.
The source of energy used to operate a machine or other system.
The rate at which work is done, or energy expended, per unit time. Power is usually measured in watts (especially for electrical power) or horsepower (especially for mechanical power). For a path conducting electrical current, such as a component in an electric circuit, P = VI, where P is the power dissipated along the path, V is the voltage across the path, and I is the current through the path. Compare energywork.
MathematicsThe number of times a number or expression is multiplied by itself, as shown by an exponent. Thus ten to the sixth power, or 106, equals one million.
A number that represents the magnification of an optical instrument, such as a microscope or telescope. A 500-power microscope can magnify an image to 500 times its original size.