firepower

noun

fire·​pow·​er ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌpau̇(-ə)r 

1

a

: the capacity (as of a military unit) to deliver effective fire on a target

b

: effective fire

2

a

: effective power or force

intellectual firepower

b

: the scoring ability of a team or player

Synonyms

• energy
• force
• horsepower
• might
• muscle
• potence
• potency
• power
• puissance
• sinew
• strength
• vigor

Examples of firepower in a Sentence

The army didn't have the firepower to defeat the invaders.

right now the President doesn't have the political firepower to push his programs through Congress

Recent Examples on the Web

Portland had more than enough firepower to blow past Minnesota’s defense. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 13 Nov. 2024

The Distaff lost a lot of its firepower when Idiomatic, last year’s champion, scratched from the race. —John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2024

The latter options exceeded expectations but Boston still ended the season five games back of an AL Wild Card spot and could use some more firepower entering the 2025 campaign. —Nate Hagerty, Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2024

Of course the concert version ended in yet another burst of firepower from Dad, taking to his instrument to sound sad on his daughter’s half, or maybe explosively protective, for a few fierce minutes. —Chris Willman, Variety, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

firepower

noun

fire·​pow·​er -ˌpau̇(-ə)r 

: the ability to deliver gunfire or warheads on a target