noun
1 ( often authorities ) people with responsibility for making decisions
ADJECTIVE
▪ central , district , federal , local , municipal , regional
▪ government , public
▪ civil , civilian , military , religious , secular
▪ education , health , housing , immigration , law enforcement , planning ( BrE ), regulatory , tax
▪
The government is urging education authorities to spend less money.
▪
the right of law enforcement authorities to take and retain photographs
▪ appropriate , competent , proper , relevant , statutory
▪
He had permission from the proper authorities.
VERB + AUTHORITY
▪ alert , contact , inform , notify
▪
The system notifies the authorities when a security breach occurs.
AUTHORITY + VERB
▪ agree sth , claim sth , decide sth , deny sth , promise sth , recommend sth
▪
The health ~ denied negligence.
▪ allow (sb) sth , approve sth , give (sb) sth , grant (sb) sth
▪
The local ~ has not granted planning permission.
▪ refuse (sb) sth
▪
Immigration authorities refused him entry to the country.
▪ arrest sb , detain sb , seize sb/sth
▪
German authorities arrested the author of the computer virus.
2 power/right to give orders
ADJECTIVE
▪ absolute , complete , full
▪ highest , supreme , ultimate
▪
The commander-in-chief exercises supreme ~ within his zone.
▪ constitutional , governmental , judicial , legal , political , presidential , regulatory
▪ divine , religious
▪
These men denied the divine ~ of the Church.
▪ parental
▪ moral
▪ lawful , legitimate
▪
He acted without any legitimate ~.
VERB + AUTHORITY
▪ have , possess
▪
Parents have the ~ to discipline their children.
▪ assume
▪
He assumed full ~ as tsar in 1689.
▪ give sb , grant sb
▪ assert , demonstrate , establish , exercise , exert , show , use , wield
▪
The new manager obviously felt the need to demonstrate her ~.
▪ lack
▪ delegate , transfer
▪ cede , give up , relinquish
▪ abuse , exceed , overstep
▪
Some legal experts think the agency may have exceeded its ~.
▪ accept , recognize , respect
▪ challenge , defy , deny , question , rebel against , reject , undermine
▪
She had challenged my ~ once too often.
▪ usurp
AUTHORITY + NOUN
▪ figure
▪
adult ~ figures such as parents and teachers
PREPOSITION
▪ in ~
▪
I need to talk to someone in ~.
▪ under the ~ of
▪
Border security will fall under the ~ of the department.
▪
This can only be done under the ~ of the president.
▪ without ~
▪
He took the car without ~.
▪ ~ over
▪
He refuses to relinquish ~ over the design process.
PHRASES
▪ an air of ~
▪
He bore an air of ~.
▪ a position of ~
▪
She holds a position of ~ in the local church.
3 person with special knowledge
ADJECTIVE
▪ foremost , leading , respected , world
VERB + AUTHORITY
▪ cite , invoke
▪
He justified his innovation by citing respected authorities.
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ on
▪
She's a leading ~ on genetics.