INDEX:
1. the ability to control people and events
2. having a lot of power
3. a country that has a lot of power
4. to have an official position of power
5. to get power
6. having no power
RELATED WORDS
political, legal, or social rights : ↑ RIGHT
see also
↑ CONTROL/NOT CONTROL
↑ IN CHARGE OF
↑ POSITION/RANK
↑ GOVERNMENT
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1. the ability to control people and events
▷ power /ˈpaʊəʳ/ [uncountable noun]
the ability or the right to control other people and make decisions that affect them :
▪ Do you think the police have too much power?
▪ He was motivated by greed, envy, and the lust for power.
great/enormous power
▪ the enormous economic power of the United States
power over
▪ The big Hollywood studios have a lot of power over what kind of films get made.
have the power to do something
▪ Only Parliament has the power to make new laws.
a power struggle
a situation in which groups or leaders try to defeat each other and get complete control
▪ A power struggle developed between the president and the generals.
▷ influence /ˈɪnfluəns/ [uncountable noun]
if someone has influence, they can use their important social position or their wealth to persuade other people to do things :
influence in
▪ The Catholic Church has always had a lot of influence in Polish politics.
influence over
▪ The banks had too much influence over government policy.
somebody’s influence with somebody
someone’s ability to persuade someone else to do things
▪ Using her influence with her husband, Evita Peron won women the right to vote.
▷ authority /ɔːˈθɒrɪti, ɔːˈθɒrəti, ə-ǁəˈθɑː-, əˈθɔː-/ [uncountable noun]
the right to make decisions and control people, which a person has because of their job or official position :
▪ No one dared to question the principal’s authority.
authority over
▪ In the British system, the mayor has no authority over the local police.
have the authority to do something
▪ The King had the authority to raise taxes without the permission of parliament.
▷ have a say /ˌhæv ə ˈseɪ/ [verb phrase]
the right to give your opinion about a decision, so that you have some power to influence it :
▪ If we’re going to undertake such a big project, the voters should have a say.
have a say in
▪ By giving the workers a greater say in the running of the company, we hope to increase cooperation and job satisfaction.
have the final say
have the power to make the final decision
▪ The Prisoner Review Board can recommend that a prisoner is released, but Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar has the final say.
▷ muscle /ˈmʌs ə l/ [uncountable noun]
power that someone has because of their money, political position, or strength, and which makes it possible for them to do things that other people or organizations cannot do :
▪ The government has for years been trying to destroy the muscle of the trade unions.
have the muscle to do something
▪ Hanson Trust has the muscle to buy up some of America’s biggest companies.
financial/political muscle
▪ The Republicans do not have the political muscle to prevent the treaty being rejected by Congress.
▷ clout /klaʊt/ [uncountable noun] informal
the power that you have to influence other people’s decisions, especially because you can use your position or your knowledge to persuade people in authority to do what you want :
have/carry clout
▪ The banks do not carry quite as much clout as they used to.
political/financial etc clout
▪ Doctors have considerably more political clout than teachers.
▷ jurisdiction /ˌdʒʊ ə rɪsˈdɪkʃ ə n, ˌdʒʊ ə rəsˈdɪkʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
the power that a government, court, or organization has to make laws or to decide whether people are breaking the law - use this especially when you talk about the limits of this power :
▪ In general, the American courts have no jurisdiction to deal with crimes outside the USA.
▪ The Air Transit Authority’s jurisdiction extends beyond the airport itself to include warehouses and associated buildings.
jurisdiction over
▪ The council has no jurisdiction over these matters.
be within/under somebody’s jurisdiction
▪ It’s not within our jurisdiction to tell people what to do in the privacy of their own homes.
be outside somebody’s jurisdiction
▪ The courts said the claim raised ‘political questions’ that were outside its jurisdiction.
2. having a lot of power
▷ powerful /ˈpaʊəʳf ə l/ [adjective]
a powerful person, organization, or country has a lot of power, and can control people and influence events :
▪ Parliament had become more powerful than the King.
▪ one of the most powerful men in US politics
▪ Berlusconi was the owner of a powerful media empire.
▷ influential /ˌɪnfluˈenʃ ə l◂/ [adjective]
someone who is influential can influence events, because they are rich, and therefore people pay attention to what they say :
▪ Her uncle is a rich and influential businessman.
▪ She is probably the most influential member of the finance committee.
▪ an influential film critic
highly influential
very influential
▪ Galbraith was a highly influential writer on economic affairs.
▷ strong /strɒŋǁstrɔːŋ/ [adjective]
powerful - use this about a political group that is supported by a lot of people :
▪ The communists were particularly strong in the big industrial cities.
▪ There has been a strong anti-nuclear movement in Japan for many years.
▷ dominant /ˈdɒmɪnənt, ˈdɒmənəntǁˈdɑː-/ [adjective]
more powerful than other people, groups, countries etc :
▪ Gradually, Microsoft became the dominant company in the software business
▪ At the time Portugal was the dominant naval power in the Mediterranean.
▷ all-powerful /ˌɔːl ˈpaʊəʳf ə l◂/ [adjective]
having more power than anyone else, especially when this is not fair :
▪ The all-powerful central committee meets twice a year.
▪ Catherine the Great, the all-powerful ruler of the Russian Empire
▪ Hollywood stars of the 30s were in awe of the all-powerful studio bosses.
▷ have friends in high places /hæv ˌfrends ɪn haɪ ˈpleɪsə̇z/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to have power or influence because you know people who have very important jobs and positions and who will help you if necessary :
▪ Bowen had friends in high places, and managed to raise large sums of money from the Carnegie and Rockefeller Foundations.
▪ The Achym family had friends in high places, including the powerful Lord Burghley, and were allowed to return.
3. a country that has a lot of power
▷ world power /ˌwɜːʳld ˈpaʊəʳ/ [countable noun]
a country that has a lot of economic and military power, and can influence what happens in other parts of the world :
▪ The United States had replaced Great Britain as the dominant world power.
▪ China is regaining its place as a world power, a status it enjoyed for 3,000 years and lost only a few centuries ago.
▷ superpower /ˈsuːpəʳˌpaʊəʳ, ˈsjuː-ǁˈsuː-/ [countable noun]
one of the most powerful countries in the world :
▪ The United States, as the world’s only remaining superpower, must continue making arms control a central element of its foreign policy.
▪ He hinted at a bigger presence for the U.S. military in the Asian Pacific region where China is emerging as a superpower.
4. to have an official position of power
▷ in power /in ˈpaʊəʳ/ [adjective phrase]
a person or political group that is in power has political control of a country or government :
▪ The Socialists have been in power since the 1965 revolution.
▪ The Congress Party in India lost its legislative majority in the late 1970s after nearly thirty years in power.
remain/stay in power
▪ Gorbachev could not have remained in power without the support of the Red Army.
▷ in authority /ɪn ɔːˈθɒrə̇tiǁ-əˈθɑː-/ [adjective phrase]
someone who is in authority has a job or position that gives them the right to tell other people what to do :
▪ My mother demanded to speak to someone in authority.
▪ Problems arise when people in authority can’t keep discipline.
▷ in office /ɪn ˈɒfə̇sǁ-ˈɔːf-/ [adjective phrase]
someone, usually a government official, who is in office, has an important job or position with power :
▪ The decision was made to remove the President after 30 years in office.
remain/continue in office
▪ Hayward has expressed his willingness to continue in office.
▷ rule /ruːl/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
if a king, queen, political party, or organization rules, they have an official position of power in a country, and over the people who live there :
▪ In 1860, Italy was a collection of small states ruled by princes and dukes.
▪ While they ruled, the country remained isolated from the rest of the world.
rule France/Spain etc
▪ The Pol Pot regime ruled Cambodia from 1974 to 1978.
rule over
▪ Spain ruled over Portugal from 1580 to 1640.
▪ Motamid had died, leaving his son Mostain to rule over Saragossa.
rule [uncountable noun]
▪ British rule in India came to an end in 1947.
▷ ruling /ˈruːlɪŋ/ [adjective]
the ruling group or political party in an area or country is the one that is controlling it at the present time :
ruling party/class/authority
▪ The ruling party is confident of winning the election.
▪ the struggle between the workers and the ruling classes
▪ The crisis sparked after the ruling party rushed through revisions of the labor and national security laws in a semi-secret parliamentary session.
▷ reign /reɪn/ [intransitive verb]
if a king or queen reigns, they have an official position of power, although they may not have any real power over the government of the country :
▪ Robert II reigned for 19 years and died in Dundonald Castle on 13th May, 1390.
▪ The last Moorish king reigned there until 1492.
reign over
▪ Penda was king from 633 to 655, but it is not known who had reigned over the Mercians in the period before.
reign [singular noun]
time when someone reigns :
▪ Important reforms were initiated during the reign of Nicholas II.
5. to get power
▷ come to power /ˌkʌm tə ˈpaʊəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to take political control of a country, especially by being elected :
▪ When Mrs Thatcher came to power in 1979, no one expected her to stay there for 13 years.
▪ After coming to power, President Clinton tried to resolve the conflict.
▷ take office /ˌteɪk ˈɒfə̇sǁ-ˈɔːf-/ [verb phrase]
if a person or political party takes office, they start working in an official position of power or take political control of a country :
▪ Less than three weeks after Labour took office, an economic crisis developed.
▪ When Olson took office in January 1939, he was the state’s first Democratic governor in forty years.
▷ take power /ˌteɪk ˈpaʊəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to get control of a country through violence :
▪ The Bolsheviks took power in 1917.
▪ General da Souza had the intention of taking power through a coup d'etat.
▷ seize power /ˌsiːz ˈpaʊəʳ/ [verb phrase]
to get control of a country suddenly or quickly, by using military force :
▪ Communist forces had come out in an attempt to seize power.
▪ The Czar was overthrown when the revolutionaries seized power.
▷ take over /ˌteɪk ˈəʊvəʳ/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to take power from an existing government or organization by using military force :
▪ A revolutionary government took over, featuring a reorganized council.
▪ The authorities began to make the necessary arrangements for taking over the garrisons, which were still in the hands of the enemy.
6. having no power
▷ powerless /ˈpaʊəʳləs/ [adjective]
someone who is powerless has no power to control or influence what happens :
▪ Blocked by the Democrats in the Senate, Bush appeared powerless.
powerless against
▪ The people of Hungary were powerless against the tanks of the Red Army.
powerless to do something
▪ The UN was powerless to prevent the war spreading.
▷ weak /wiːk/ [adjective]
someone who is weak does not have much power because they cannot make other people respect them or obey them :
▪ These policies failed because the government was weak and ineffective.
▪ a weak, indecisive principal
weakness [uncountable noun]
▪ The King’s mercy towards the rebels was regarded as a sign of weakness.
▷ have no say /hæv ˌnəʊ ˈseɪ/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to have no power to influence what happens because your opinion is ignored or regarded as unimportant :
▪ Whenever we have to make an important decision, I feel that I have no say.
have no say in something
▪ The French government allows the Annamese almost no say at all in running their affairs.