power play

noun

1
: a military, diplomatic, political, or administrative maneuver in which power is brought to bear
2
a
: a concentrated attack in football in which the ballcarrier is preceded by a mass of blockers
b
: a situation in ice hockey in which one team temporarily has more players on the ice than the other team because of a penalty

Examples of power play in a Sentence

They scored their first goal on a power play. He made a power play to seize control of the company.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One sign of Rhaenyra's power play is her expulsion of adviser and one-time lover Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), who served as the queen's conscience. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026 The player matched all five white numbers (5-9-35-54-63) to win $2 million, but not the red Powerball number (7) with the power play bonus. — Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Aug. 2026 The tech executive shakeup reveals valuable takeaways on how to leverage your expertise to strike a power play and own more in your career. — Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 Gavin McKenna should give the team’s top-six and first-unit power play a big jolt. — Harman Dayal, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for power play

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of power play was in 1947

Rhymes for power play

See All Rhymes for power play

Browse Nearby Words

power plant
power play
power point
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Power play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power%20play. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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