What does "power" mean?
The ability to do or undergo something.
Power
/ˈpaʊ̯ə̯/ adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The ability to do or undergo something.
- Grammar: power is listed as adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: ability, authority, capability, capacity.
- Useful contrasts: most out of power, no influence, no power.
- Usage evidence: The guild leader relegated Vince to a lesser officer because he was abusing his power.
How to use "power"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "power" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "power" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "power" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "power" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "power" is acting as adj, intj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "ability" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "power", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The ability to do or undergo something. countable, uncountable
"He has lost the power to speak."
- 2 A button of a computer, a video game console, or similar device, that when pressed, causes the device to be either shut down or powered up.
- 3 physical strength wordnet
- 4 The ability to coerce, influence, or control. countable, uncountable
"The proportion of female colleagues in the Hsinchu County Government and its affiliated units has reached 61%. “Women Power” is the power behind over half of the services provided by the county government."
- 5 possession of controlling influence wordnet
Show 28 more definitions
- 6 The ability to coerce, influence, or control.; The ability to affect or influence. countable
"the power of the written word"
- 7 possession of the qualities (especially mental qualities) required to do something or get something done wordnet
- 8 The ability to coerce, influence, or control.; The ability or authority to control, govern, command, coerce, etc., such as in a legal, political or business sphere. countable, uncountable
"He's nominally president, but he does not have any real power."
- 9 a mathematical notation indicating the number of times a quantity is multiplied by itself wordnet
- 10 The ability to coerce, influence, or control.; The people in charge of legal or political power, the government. countable, in-plural, metonymically, uncountable
- 11 a state powerful enough to influence events throughout the world wordnet
- 12 The ability to coerce, influence, or control.; A strong or influential nation, company, or other such body. countable, metonymically, uncountable
"In the 19th century, Britain and France were major colonial powers."
- 13 a very wealthy or powerful businessperson wordnet
- 14 The ability to coerce, influence, or control.; An army, a military force. archaic, countable, metonymically, uncountable
"The threatning words of duke Robert comming at the last to king Henries eares, caused him foorthwith to conceiue verie sore displeasure against the duke, in so much that he sent ouer a power of men into Normandie, which finding no great resistance, did much hurt in the countrie, by fetching and carieng spoiles and preies."
- 15 one possessing or exercising power or influence or authority wordnet
- 16 Strength, energy.; Physical force or strength. countable, physical, uncountable
"He needed a lot of power to hit the ball out of the stadium."
- 17 energy made available by the flow of electric charge through a conductor wordnet
- 18 Strength, energy.; Designating one who does something forcefully or on a large or grand scale. attributive, countable, physical, uncountable
"She's a power shopper; she knows all the best deals."
- 19 (physics) the rate of doing work; measured in watts (= joules/second) wordnet
- 20 Strength, energy.; The production or flow of energy providing means to do work; energy per time unit. countable, physical, uncountable
"The power to haul the train is supplied by two huge locomotives."
- 21 (of a government or government official) holding an office means being in power wordnet
- 22 Strength, energy.; Electricity or a supply of electricity. countable, physical, specifically, uncountable
"After the pylons collapsed, this town was without power for a few days."
- 23 Strength, energy.; The rate at which work is done or energy is transferred, expressed in units of energy per unit of time. countable, physical, uncountable
"The kilowatt is a unit of power, equivalent to 1,000 joules of energy per second."
- 24 Strength, energy.; The strength by which a lens or mirror magnifies an optical image. countable, physical, uncountable
"We need a microscope with higher power."
- 25 A large amount or number. colloquial, countable, uncountable
"do a power of good"
- 26 Any of the elementary forms or parts of machines: three primary (the lever, inclined plane, and pulley) and three secondary (the wheel-and-axle, wedge, and screw). countable, uncountable
"the mechanical powers"
- 27 A tractor. countable, uncountable
"The set I'm making right now needs a power on it, but we don't have any tractors left in the yard."
- 28 A measure of the effectiveness that a force producing a physical effect has over time. If linear, the quotient of: (force multiplied by the displacement of or in an object) ÷ time. If rotational, the quotient of: (force multiplied by the angle of displacement) ÷ time. countable, uncountable
- 29 A product of equal factors (and generalizations of this notion): xⁿ, read as "x to the power of n" or the like, is called a power and denotes the product x×x×⋯×x, where x appears n times in the product; x is called the base and n the exponent. countable, uncountable
- 30 Cardinality. countable, uncountable
- 31 The probability that a statistical test will reject the null hypothesis when the alternative hypothesis is true. countable, uncountable
- 32 In Christian angelology, an intermediate level of angels, ranked above archangels, but exact position varies by classification scheme. countable, in-plural, uncountable
- 33 A bonus point awarded for answering correctly before a certain part of the tossup is read. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To provide power for (a mechanical or electronic device). transitive
"This CD player is powered by batteries."
- 2 supply the force or power for the functioning of wordnet
- 3 To hit or kick something forcefully. transitive
"United keeper Edwin van der Sar was the unlikely provider as his clearance found Rooney, who had got ahead of last defender Richard Dunne, and the forward brilliantly controlled a ball coming from over his shoulder before powering a shot past Brad Friedel."
- 4 To enable or provide the impetus for.
"Abdul Sattar Edhi came to Karachi as a poor man from an Indian village in 1947. Starting with a small pharmacy tent, his work rapidly expanded, powered by donations from ordinary citizens."
- 5 To move or advance with great force or speed. intransitive
"Playing with freedom and no fear, Ashleigh Barty has powered into the Australian Open third round without even a coach. Barty clubbed China’s Yafan Wang 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday before revealing she had been largely flying solo during her charge to the last 32 for only the second time."
Adjective
- 1 Impressive. Malaysia, Singapore, colloquial
"Check out the POWER Mee Rebus & Lontong in this newly established Nasi Padang coffee shop at Market Street Carpark."
Intj
- 1 Used as a cheer to express support Philippines, colloquial
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
"Although US officials have been sounding the alarm about the imminent risk of famine in the war-torn strip, USAID Administrator Samantha Power is the first official to publicly agree with an assessment that famine is already taking place."
Antonyms
most out of powerno influenceno powerno powers
Example
"The guild leader relegated Vince to a lesser officer because he was abusing his power."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "power"?
Common synonyms include: ability, authority, capability, capacity, competence, control.
How do you use "power" in a sentence?
The guild leader relegated Vince to a lesser officer because he was abusing his power.
How do you pronounce "power"?
Pronounced /ˈpaʊ̯ə̯/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *pótis Proto-Italic *potis Proto-Indo-European *h₁es- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ésmi Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- Proto-Indo-European *bʰúHt Proto-Italic *som Proto-Italic *possom Latin posseder. Vulgar Latin potēre Old French pooir Anglo-Norman poerbor. Middle English power English power From Middle English power, poer, from Old French poeir, from Vulgar Latin potēre, from Latin posse, whence English potent. Compare French pouvoir. Displaced the native Old English anweald.
Etymology 2
From power.