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.
The Canucks generated just one shot on goal during the ensuing four-minute power play. Harman Dayal, The Athletic, 9 Dec. 2024 Is Turkey going to think about this in terms of just the stabilization of Syria or as part of its power play with Iran and Russia? Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024 Against the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers, the Sharks managed just 16 shots through the first two periods and finished the game going 1-for-7 on the power play. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 7 Dec. 2024 Perhaps the most stark difference in what Trocheck was saying came during the Rangers’ first power play. Larry Fleisher, Forbes, 3 Dec. 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 24 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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