📒 the ability to control people or things
- power to do something He has the power to make things very unpleasant for us.
- Religion is losing its power to shape our behaviour.
- power over somebody/something The aim is to give people more power over their own lives.
📒 political control of a country or an area
- Hitler seized power in Germany in 1933.
- The following year he took power in a military coup.
- Labour won two elections in 1974, but lost power in 1979.
📒 energy that can be collected and used to operate a machine, to make electricity, etc.
- nuclear/wind/solar power
- engine power
- wave power
📒 the public supply of electricity
- They've switched off the power.
- She was in the elevator when the power went off.
- The country's power supply is stretched to the limit.
📒 the quality of having great power or force, or of being very effective
- The ship was helpless against the power of the storm.
- They were impressed by the power of her arguments.
- Researchers are harnessing the power of computer modelling to find solutions to these challenges.
📒 physical strength used in action; physical strength that somebody possesses and might use
- with power He hit the ball with as much power as he could.
- the sheer physical power of the man
📒 the ability or opportunity to do something
- in your power I will do everything in my power to help you.
- within your power It is not within my power (= I am unable) to help you.
- He did everything in his power to find us somewhere to live.
📒 a particular ability of the body or mind
- Spiderman uses his powers to fight crime.
- power of something He had lost the power of speech.
- The drug may affect your powers of concentration.
📒 all the abilities of a person’s body or mind
- At 26, he is at the height of his powers and ranked fourth in the world.
📒 the right or authority of a person or group to do something
- The powers of the police must be clearly defined.
- The court can only exercise powers granted to it by statute.
- City rulers abused their power by using public funds for private purposes.
📒 a country with a lot of influence in world affairs, or with great military strength
- He transformed a backward country into a world power.
- major European powers such as France and Germany
- Turkey is growing as an economic power.
📒 strength or influence in a particular area of activity
- These companies have enormous economic power.
- the exercise of military power
- air/sea power (= military strength in the air/at sea)
📒 the influence of a particular thing or group within society
- Hollywood star power
- Parent power has helped save the school from closure.
- power of something the power of the media
📒 the number of times that an amount is to be multiplied by itself
- to the power of something 4 to the power of 3 is 43 (= 4 × 4 × 4 = 64).
📒 the amount by which a lens can make objects appear larger
- the power of a microscope/telescope
📒 a good or evil spirit that controls the lives of others
- the powers of darkness (= the forces of evil)
- She believed in the existence of a benevolent power.
- belief in a higher power
📒 the higher levels of government, where important decisions are made
- She had considerable influence in the corridors of power.
- She was a minister with considerable influence in the corridors of power.
📒 to be very good for somebody’s physical or mental health
- A break would do us all a power of good.
📒 used to encourage somebody or express support for their actions
📒 the person who really controls an organization, a country, etc. in contrast to the person who is legally in charge
- His assistant was thought to be the real power behind the throne.
📒 the people who control an organization, a country, etc.
- The powers that be are still trying to decide what should be done.
📒 to win an election by a large number of votes; to make somebody win an election with a large number of votes