Power word definition

Power Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Recent Examples on the Web

His every movement added layers to his character, which in turn brought tremendous dramatic power to the gripping pas de trois between the three principal characters and to the production’s final scenes. —Elaine Schmidt, Journal Sentinel, 24 Mar. 2023 But streaming, and even [premium] cable, has put power into the audience’s hand. —James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Mar. 2023 Of course, had Chew dared to acknowledged China’s power, that also could have roiled US lawmakers. —Casey Newton, The Verge, 24 Mar. 2023 Stealth was the great disruptor in the realm of postwar air warfare, shifting the balance of power from the defender back toward the attacker. —Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 24 Mar. 2023 The electrical grid, which will rapidly find itself under stress due to EV adoption, will see its load reduced as apartment buildings are receiving some local power from their system. —Mark Le Dain, Forbes, 23 Mar. 2023 In order to maintain power, the Democratic president often pushed through Republican policies like welfare reform, financial deregulation and the war on drugs. —Robert Samuels, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2023 The Voting Rights Act, which governs the redistricting process, is meant to ensure people of color are given a fair chance to wield political power, protecting those who have been historically disenfranchised. —Danny Mcdonald, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Mar. 2023 At the end of Ruin and Rising, Tolya and Tamar Kir-Bataar bring Mal back to life and Alina loses her power. —Town & Country, 23 Mar. 2023

The plant about 38 miles northwest of Minneapolis is scheduled to power down Friday so permanent repairs can begin, the company said. —Fox News, 24 Mar. 2023 Inspired by the hardiness of bumblebees, MIT researchers have developed repair techniques that enable a bug-sized aerial robot to sustain severe damage to the actuators, or artificial muscles, that power its wings—but to still fly effectively. —IEEE Spectrum, 22 Mar. 2023 Wind can now power a third of US homes 🌊 US coastal wetlands are rapidly disappearing. —Clarisa Diaz, Quartz, 20 Mar. 2023 Revolution Wind 2, generating enough to power 500,000 Rhode Island homes, would go in a federal lease area near Revolution Wind. —Brian Amaral, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Mar. 2023 According to Bodge, the company has crafted 1,000-2,000 word prompts for GPT-4 that power the bots. —David Ingram, NBC News, 17 Mar. 2023 The Ernie Bot presentation happened just a couple of days after OpenAI announced GPT-4, which is the next iteration of its multimodal large language model and a major improvement over the GPT-3. 5 model used to power ChatGPT. —Matthew Humphries, PCMAG, 16 Mar. 2023 The military uses Aerostar’s smaller balloons to create mobile communication networks in dead-zones, while disaster-relief agencies can power cellphone connectivity in places ravaged by hurricanes. —Pranshu Verma, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2023 Those activists’ preferred technology is hydrogen fuel cells, which produce no pollution and can power heavy-duty trucks. —Sammy Rothstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Feb. 2023

The Department of Commerce must bring an immediate end to this baseless investigation in order to create a sustainable, clean-power future for the nation. —George Strobel, Forbes, 27 May 2022 With mega-power tensions on the rise, LHX is going to benefit from the inevitable increases in defense spending that are going to cascade across the globe. —Brett Owens, Forbes, 11 Aug. 2022 Nick Saban for a decade has been an advocate for nine-game conference schedules, in part to add spice to home schedules that have for years included three non-power conference opponents. —Michael Casagrande | [email protected], al, 25 July 2022 The Bearcats, who finished undefeated in the regular season, became the first non-power-five team to earn a spot inside the College Football Playoff committee's top four on Nov. 23. —Brooks Sutherland, The Enquirer, 5 Dec. 2021 Whitford did what most folks say all Indiana's non-power conference schools should do: Load up on the best of the rest in-state players. —Matthew Glenesk, The Indianapolis Star, 8 June 2022 Great to see this @CA_DWR @SolarAquaGrid @TurlockID solar-over-canal project moving from idea to proof-of-concept construction - a baby step potentially helping CA and the planet with both water and clean-power gains. —Roger Bales, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Feb. 2022 The little things stood out during Joe Biden’s sober nine-minute Tuesday afternoon speech addressing the most serious super-power crisis of this century. —Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 22 Feb. 2022 The Lower lake is reserved for canoeing, non-power boating and swimming from mid-May to mid-September. —Megan Marples, CNN, 3 Feb. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'power.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Power Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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[ pou-er ]

/ ˈpaʊ ər /

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See synonyms for: power / powered / powering / powers on Thesaurus.com

This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.

noun

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; influence: 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR power

1 capacity.

3 energy.

5 ascendancy; sway, rule, sovereignty.

See synonyms for power on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR power

1 incapacity.

3 weakness.

See antonyms for power on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

Idioms about 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

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to power

capability, capacity, function, influence, potential, skill, talent, energy, force, intensity, strength, weight, authority, clout, jurisdiction, law, leadership, management, prestige, privilege

How to use power in a sentence

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.
‘An educational stance’: Publishers mull CBD’s alluring – and complex – commerce opportunities|Max Willens|September 17, 2020|Digiday
“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
From this attitude he draws a singular comic and literary power.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And the fact that satire unnerves the intolerant is evidence of its positive power.
Why We Stand With Charlie Hebdo—And You Should Too|John Avlon|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
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
For this use of the voice in the special service of will-power, or propelling force, it is necessary first to test its freedom.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
Wharton smiled at this littleness in so great a man, but determined that he should feel the power he despised.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
He brings out all their power, brilliancy and careering wildness, and makes the greatest sensation of them.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
She knew that she alone of all human beings was gifted with the power to understand and fully sympathize with him.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
We live in an age that is at best about a century and a half old—the age of machinery and power.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice|Stephen Leacock

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)

statistics the 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

physics engineering a 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

informal a 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 power under the control or sway of someone

the powers that be the established authority or administration

verb (tr)

to give or provide power to

to fit (a machine) with a motor or engine

(intr) slang to travel with great speed or force

Word Origin for power

C13: from Anglo-Norman poer, from Vulgar Latin potēre (unattested), from Latin posse to be able

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for power

power

[ pou′ər ]

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 energy work.

Mathematics The 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.

Cultural definitions for power

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.

Other Idioms and Phrases with power

In addition to the idioms beginning with power

power behind the throne
powers that be, the

also see:

corridors of power
more power to someone
staying power

How do you understand the expression power of the word? (according to the text of L.F. Voronkova) :: composition 9.3. OGE

The word as the basic unit of language has great power. The power of the word can be understood as the positive or negative impact of the word on the listener or reader. What power can be contained in a word? The word is able to evoke certain feelings and emotions in a person, make him think about something, interest him in this or that topic, change his attitude to the subject of speech, induce him to certain actions. The word is a powerful tool for influencing a person. To be convinced of this position, one can refer to the text of L.F. Voronkova and to the reader's experience.

In the text of L.F. Voronkova shows that Tanyushka, Verka, Proshka, Liza and other guys surrounding Aniska used a large number of phrases to tell the girl Svetlana, who came to visit her grandmother, about the negative actions that Aniska committed. After listening to the guys, Svetlana uttered only one phrase: “Well, since she feels sorry for them?”. But there is a lot of meaning in this small statement. The author shows that Svetlana understood why Aniska fights with other guys: she cannot calmly watch how they mock animals and plants, so with the help of fights she tries to protect both the horsefly, whose wings were torn off, and the cat, which was bathed in the pond, and the nests the boys climbed after, and the frog that Verka pulled out of the pond, and the rook that Proshka hit, and the flowers that her sister Liza touched and pushed. With one phrase, Svetlana supports Aniska's indifferent attitude towards living beings, condemning the behavior of other guys who commit cruel acts towards animals and plants. L.F. Voronkova shows that Svetlana, who not only understands Aniska, but also defends her in front of other children, utters a phrase that has a huge impact on Aniska, who had previously only encountered misunderstanding and reproaches against her. Having received support, Aniska realized "that her heart is big, big, full of her chest, and that it is all so alive and warm."

Another work by L.F. Voronkova: the story "Where is your house?". At the celebration in honor of graduation from school, addressing the young men and women, the director of the state farm, Savely Petrovich, urged them not to leave the state farm, since it is the youth who are “the main force, without which it will be difficult to build something new, to develop what has already been done.” The words of the hero had a huge impact on his daughter Zhenya Kashtanova, who decided to enter the university in absentia, remaining in her small homeland to work for the benefit of the state farm. The father's inciting and encouraging speeches inspired Zhenya and helped her make a final decision regarding her immediate future.

Summing up what has been said, it can be noted that the power of a word lies in the fact that it can influence a person, causing him to have certain feelings and emotions, forcing him to think about certain issues, prompting him to commit certain other actions.

Option 2 - compositions 9.1. and 9.2.:

9.1. “Thought is speech within us, silent speech” - B.V. Kazansky

9.2. “Maybe it’s Aniska’s holiday?” (according to the text by L.F. Voronkova)

Composition on the topic "The power of the word"

A word is not just a set of letters and a certain sound. It is something much more. Different words evoke different emotions and associations in us. Love, pain, betrayal, Motherland, mother, sun, sea... Say any of these words to random people, and you will be very surprised when you find out that they have very different associations. Some people remember some pleasant story when they hear the word "love", while others begin to get bored. Someone combines the meaning of the word "Motherland" with their country, and someone comes to mind the memory of their hometown, where they spent the best years of childhood. The word has an unusually magical effect on the consciousness of each of us. The word evokes feelings, emotions, associations, it can influence us.

The power of the word has always been described in folk art. Everyone knows that there are many proverbs and sayings about the word. "The word is not a sparrow; it will fly out - you will not catch it." This is a well-known folk wisdom, which, in my opinion, most fully reveals the essence of the word. The spoken word cannot be returned back, its influence on a person cannot be stopped, its action cannot be cancelled. And the fact that the word can influence people is a proven fact! It is worth mentioning how the placebo effect can be used in medicine. People are told that the medicines they are given have magical effects, that they are powerful remedies that can cure anything. And in fact they give ordinary vitamins. Then a real miracle happens: people get better for a while. Words have such a strong effect on them that even their well-being improves! This is an incredible fact.

One popular wisdom says that the word hurts more than the blade. If you hurt a person with a knife, we will see blood. But sooner or later the wound will heal, perhaps not even a scar will remain. But if you offend a person with a word, tell him something that hurts him to the core, then the memories of this insult can haunt him forever. There is also an opposite opinion, expressed by the wisdom of the people: "From a warm word, the ice melts." A frustrated, unhappy person most of all needs support, a warm and kind word. From pleasant words, mood, well-being improves and faith in one's own strength increases.

However, there is another side to the coin. The word is beautiful pure, sincere kind words will always be appropriate. But words alone are not always enough. They must also be confirmed by actions. For this, you need to think even more about your every word, weigh the responsibility that comes after they have been said. For example, you promise to help a person at any moment, and when this moment comes, you cannot do this due to your unwillingness or some other reasons. Such words become empty, they lose their meaning, offend the person to whom they are addressed.

People have always loved the word . They constantly sought to exchange them, to pass on their experience through them. For a long time, people did not know how to write and had the opportunity to exchange only verbal messages. With the advent of writing, the artistic value of the word grew: poems, poems, and compositions began to appear. In these works, the word comes to life in a new way, begins to breathe and shimmer with new colors. The majestic meaning of the word also arises through the first word of any baby. How parents look forward to this moment! It seems that after the child says the first word, a new stage of life begins for him. Parents film it on video, write it down in diaries, tell relatives and friends. The child grows up and learns the world through the word: he names all the objects, points his finger at them and dreams of knowing the name of each object that surrounds him.