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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
San Jose entered the game as one of only two teams to kill off every power play (11 times short-handed). Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2024 When the Avs finally had their first power play of the game, even that phase of the game was a mess. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 14 Oct. 2024 Artificial intelligence and data center power play Vistra also made the list with an RSI of 84. Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2024 Historically, redistricting — in L.A. and elsewhere — is inherently a power play. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2024 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

Dictionary Entries Near power play

Cite this Entry

“Power play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power%20play. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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