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.
Ovechkin, who led the Capitals to their first championship in 2018, already holds several NHL career records, including the most power play goals, most goalies scored upon and most goals with one team. Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2025 His next time out, the Blues were on the power play. Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2025 Yes, actual playoffs Slow start, sloppy play dooms Sharks in loss to desperate Rangers Why the Sharks likely will not recall Gushchin or Bordeleau this season The Sharks also had issues on the power play Sunday, going 0-for-3 with the man advantage without a shot on net. Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2025 Leo Carlsson scored his 20th goal and Sam Colangelo tied it on a power play early in the third period for Anaheim, which will soon wrap up its seventh consecutive non-playoff season. Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Power play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power%20play. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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